Church of St George and attached manse

This former Presbyterian, now United Reformed Church, was built in 1862-3 in Romanesque style. The attached manse was added in 1880 and combines Romanesque and Gothic styling.

Construction and Materials

The church is constructed of red sandstone with ashlar dressings, whilst the manse is built of orange brick with yellow sandstone dressings. Both buildings are roofed with Welsh slate.

Layout

The church is rectangular in plan and incorporates a three-stage tower and semi-basement. The rectangular manse is attached to the right with a narrow, projecting rear range. The church's west front faces true south; the following description uses liturgical orientation. Both buildings front Warwick Road, where their entrances are located.

Church Exterior

The church is double-height and raised up on a basement with a three-stage tower. A stone band separates the main body of the building from the semi-basement. Openings are mostly round-headed, except those to the semi-basement which are flat-arched. All windows are fitted with lozenge-shaped leaded glass.

The main (liturgical west) elevation has a gabled right bay with a central entrance featuring a moulded intrados and a hoodmould with decorative stops. Double wooden doors are inset and have ornate strap hinges. To the right is a single light and above is a stepped three-light west window with hoodmould and stops. At the apex there is a three-sided opening fitted with louvres. The semi-basement is lit by flat-arched windows.

The left bay comprises a square, buttressed tower of three stages, each separated by a string course. The tower has a single narrow light to its lower stage and smaller paired lights to the central stage, with a lozenge above that formerly enclosed a clock, now removed and blocked with stone. The upper stage belfry has a recessed square panel containing a three-light louvred window and there is a castellated parapet above. Small stones at each corner locate the former positions of spirelets. A set of steps bounded by a low wall with square coping and replaced metal railings crosses the lower stage of the tower, giving access to the main door of the church.

The left return has five bays. Four of these are lit by narrow, full-height lights alternating with buttresses. Beneath one of these there is an entrance to the semi-basement; the others have square-headed windows lighting the basement and projecting above street level. The fifth bay comprises the tower, which is similarly detailed to that of the west elevation.

The rear (liturgical east) elevation is gabled and has a stepped three-light window lighting the chancel, and rectangular-headed windows lighting the semi-basement.

Manse Exterior

Attached to the right of the church, the manse has two bays and two storeys plus attic and basement. All windows are fitted with uPVC replacements, as is the main entrance.

The left gabled bay has a triple-height canted bay window. The upper two windows have chamfered mullions and are adorned with decorative stone animal heads. There is also a decorative moulded parapet pierced by various motifs. Paired rectangular windows light the attic, with a pointed-arched dripmould over, infilled with diaper brickwork. There is a large chimney stack to the left gable.

The right bay contains a moulded round-headed entrance with narrow red sandstone columns and floriated capitals. It has a pointed-arched stone surround of alternating red and yellow sandstone with a floral boss at the apex and a pointed-arch hoodmould over with floral stops. The inset door has an original fanlight over, and above is a single round-arched window with brick surround and central floral boss with similar hoodmould.

Church Interior

The main entrance opens into a rectangular vestibule with side walls formed by full-height timber and stained glazed screens comprising a Romanesque and a Gothic arcade. An elaborate First World War memorial forms the north wall (described below). To either side is a stair hall housing a cantilevered winder stair to the gallery with a ramped and wreathed handrail and ornate cast-iron balusters. A pair of four-panel doors give access to the body of the church.

The four-bay nave has wainscoted walls, plainly painted above with any adornment saved for the east end. The three-light east window is highlighted internally by plasterwork, comprising engaged columns, hoodmould and bosses. Below there is a blind arcade with identical detailing. The raised dais remains and has been extended over the original wooden step preserved beneath. A highly detailed pipe organ stands to the right with an integral narrow stair to the attached manse. The west window has a central floral motif to each of its three lights.

An original gallery around three sides is supported on slender cast-iron fluted Tuscan columns with carved geometric gallery fronts and cornice. The slender columns rise through the gallery to support a false triforium of paired Romanesque arches, divided into eight bays by the polygonal ribs of the boarded wagon roof. The gallery walls have simple wainscoting.

The semi-basement, accessed by a stone stair, comprises a large wainscoted hall and numerous cast-iron columns supporting the church floor above. Smaller service rooms are reached through original four-panel doors.

War Memorial

A square, three-bay structure said to comprise eighteen separate varieties of colourful and polished marble. The upper parts are of a pinkish-grey marble and the lower parts have a geometric pattern of white, pink and mauve marble with a central lozenge. The memorial is flanked by grey marble panels.

The left and right-hand bays have central marble plaques commemorating the nineteen men of the parish who lost their lives in 'The Great War'. The plaques have a decorative border and a gold frieze of green leaves and red berries.

The slightly projecting centre bay is flanked by green marble columns with floriated capitals supporting a round-headed parapet with a sunburst centrepiece of white, green, red and gold marble pieces. The central marble plaque has similar detailing to the others and commemorates the life of Howie Boyd, long-term Minister of the church.

Manse Interior

The main front door opens into a vestibule with cornice and through a timber and glazed screen of geometric design into the rectangular stair hall. The latter also has cornice and stair arch on scrolled brackets and original doors and architraves.

A pair of reception rooms to the left of the hall have been combined into a single space, but both retain original panel doors, cornices, ceiling roses, deep skirtings and chimneypieces. Stairs from the front room lead through the west wall into the church.

At the rear of the hall, a straight flight of stairs leads down to a basement front room with fireplace removed, and there are inserted toilet facilities to the rear. Rooms to the rear service range are plain.

The lower flight of the dog-leg stair, formerly open, has been enclosed by light partitions. The stair has turned balusters and ornate newel posts with foliated finials and the first-floor landing has a recessed open cupboard. The four first-floor bedrooms have six-panel doors, plain cornices, skirtings and original chimneypieces.

The stair continues to the second, attic floor with a geometric balustrade and lit by a large roof light. Three further small bedrooms each have an identical small cast-iron chimneypiece and grate.