286, Southampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 286 |
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| OS grid reference | SU4330315583 |
| Location | Swaythling |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Swaythling Methodist Church |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Founder(s) | Herbert Collins |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Designated | 20 November 1997 |
| Architect(s) | Herbert Collins |
| Architectural type | Central Hall |
| Style | Neo-Georgian |
| Specifications | |
| Number of floors | 2 |
| Number of domes | 1 |
| Materials | Red brick, Concrete, Slate, Copper |
| Administration | |
| Circuit | Southampton Methodist Circuit |
| District | Southampton Methodist District |
286, once known as Swaythling Methodist Church, is a special building in Swaythling, Southampton. It is now a gurdwara, which is a place of worship for people who follow Sikhism. Before 2021, it was a church run by the Southampton Methodist Circuit.
Even after it stopped being an official Methodist Church in 2013, a small group from Swaythling Methodist Church continued to meet there. They used a part of the building called the Nona Bell Centre until the building was sold in 2021.
Contents
About the Building
This building has many different areas inside. There are large halls and smaller rooms, plus a house for a minister (called a manse) and some workshops.
Design and Construction
The church was designed by Herbert Collins in 1932. He used a style called Neo-Georgian, which looks like older, classic buildings. Herbert Collins had already built many houses in the area. He wanted to create a place for the people who lived in those houses to gather.
The building was made with help from J. Arthur Rank, who was famous for his work in movies. Because of his involvement, the church was built with full cinema equipment. The room where the movie projector used to be is still there!
Inside the Main Hall
The main part of the building, called the auditorium, is shaped like an octagon (an eight-sided shape). It has a balcony above the entrance. You can reach this balcony by using two staircases on the north side.
On the south side, there's another part of the building with more halls and rooms. On the west side of the property, separate buildings hold workshops and the manse.
Special Features
The roof of the main hall is slightly domed and covered in copper. On top of the dome, there's a small, round tower also covered in copper, called a cupola.
The entire building and its grounds were given a special status on November 20, 1997. This means it is a Grade II listed building, which protects it because it's an important historical or architectural site.
Changes and New Purpose
Over the years, the building faced some changes in ownership and purpose.
Transferring Ownership
In April 2016, the Methodist Council decided to transfer the building to City Life Church. The building was valued at about £900,000 at the time. This transfer happened under a special rule called "Model Trust 20." This rule allows church buildings to be sold for less than their full value if it means Christian worship can continue there.
The building needed a lot of repairs, estimated to cost over £900,000. So, selling it for free was seen as a way to keep the building in use for religious purposes.
Changes to the Rules
However, in April 2018, the Council found it hard to agree on the exact terms for the sale. One issue was a "reverter" clause in Model Trust 20. This clause meant that if the new owner ever sold the building later, the Methodist Church would get the money from that sale. Because of this, the Council changed Model Trust 20 to make it easier to transfer buildings.
New Owners and Future
In 2021, the Methodist Church changed Model Trust 20 again. A new rule said that if a sale for less than the full price was approved, it had to be completed within three years. Since the sale of 286 was approved in 2016, the time limit had passed.
So, the building was put up for sale to anyone, with a guide price of £1.2 million. It was then bought by a Sikh group. They started a £50,000 renovation project to turn the building into a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs.
