Building record MLI87334 - Central Methodist Church, High Street, Lincoln

Summary

The Central Methodist Church, with adjoining Sunday school, theatre and meeting rooms, was built in 1905 by Howdill & Sons of Leeds.

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

Built in 1905 as ‘Portland Place Memorial Chapel’, the building is depicted as a Primitive Methodist Church on the 2nd edition 25" Ordnance Survey County Series map. The building was renamed the Central Methodist Church soon after the formation of the United Methodist Church in 1932. {1}{2} The Central Methodist Church on the High Street was built in 1905 as Portland Place Memorial Chapel, serving Lincoln’s Primitive Methodist community, replacing an earlier building on the site. It was designed by the Leeds-based architectural practice, Howdill and Sons, in an eclectic Edwardian Baroque style typical of the Primitive Methodist chapels designed by the practice. It acquired its current name in 1932 after the formation of the Methodist Church of Great Britain. The church was also provided with a Sunday school, theatre and meeting rooms, adjoining to the rear (west). The building underwent internal alterations in 1968, when a new timber pulpit, dais and decorative first-floor screen were added. The building is constructed of red brick with cream-coloured stone (possibly Lincolnshire limestone) ashlar dressings, and features slate and lead roofs. It is principally of two storeys, with taller towers flanking the central portion of the building. The Sunday school and meeting rooms form the western range, which does not have a formal frontage. To the south of the central element is a square bell tower, arranged in three stages, topped with an octagonal turret with a spherical lead dome and finial. To the north of the central element is a smaller, square tower, also arranged in three stages and with similar fenestration to the bell tower, but topped with a ramped, coped parapet with octagonal finials on the pedestals. The tower is topped with a battered, square, lead turret with a louvred opening on each side, topped with a square, lead dome. Internally, the entrance lobby was remodelled and refitted during the mid-20th century. The chapel itself has an elliptical, arched and boarded ceiling and panelled ribs, with patterned stained-glass windows. The gallery is panelled and arranged in a horseshoe shape, supported on round cast iron columns. The upper tier has Ionic columns and elliptical arches with keystones. At the west end of the ground floor, there is a wooden pulpit, dais and rail, and above this, behind the choir gallery, a wooden screen, all installed in 1968. On either side of the 1960s interventions on each floor are a pair of single doors linking to the Sunday school and meeting rooms beyond. The fittings include the original timber benches with moulded ends. Externally, the building largely retains its original appearance. A ramp and handrail were added to the principal, east elevation in the early 2000s. The church and adjoining buildings remain in use by the Methodist community. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate entry in the National Heritage List for England. {3}{4}{5}{6}{7}

Sources/Archives (7)

  •  Map: Ordnance Survey. 1902-07. 25 Inch County Series Map - Second Edition. 1:2500. SK 97 SE.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Jones, Michael, J; Stocker, D.; and Vince, A.. 2003. The City by the Pool including LARA. LARA.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). p.502.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Christopher Stell. 2002. Inventory of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting Houses in Eastern England. p.216, no.172.
  •  Digital Archive: Lincolnshire County Council. 2005. GIS layer depicting locations and survival of nonconformist chapels in the City of Lincoln. 70410.
  •  Index: Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Dec 1999. Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1941-1/14/461.
  •  Website: Historic England (formerly English Heritage). 2011->. The National Heritage List for England. http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/. 1388595.

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Location

Grid reference Centred SK 97288 70545 (48m by 25m) Surveyed
Civil Parish BOULTHAM, LINCOLN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Sep 11 2024 4:04PM

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