Maiden Street Methodist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maiden Street Methodist Church |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Methodist |
| Location | |
| Location | Weymouth, Dorset, England |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Foster and Wood |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Lombard |
| Completed | 1868 |
Maiden Street Methodist Church is a former Methodist church in Weymouth, Dorset, England. It was built in 1866–1868 to the designs of Foster and Wood of Bristol. The church was the victim of fire in 2002 and was subsequently replaced by the Weymouth Bay Methodist Church which opened in 2009. The church, which is a Grade II* listed building, remains a ruin and awaits redevelopment.
History
The church at Maiden Street was built in 1866–1868 as a Wesleyan-Methodist Church on a site previously occupied by the King's Head Inn. The foundation stone was laid by William Dingley of Sherborne on 28 June 1866. It was built by Stephen Brown of Weymouth to the designs of Messrs. Foster and Ward of Bristol. The church opened for Divine worship on 12 December 1868, with seated accommodation for 1,000 people. The church underwent internal alterations in 1955 and a £160,000 restoration was carried out in 1998-99.
Architecture
The church is built of red brick, with dressings in Portland stone. Ornamental details included a large rose window added to each gable. It was intended to embellish the north-west corner of the building with a turret and spire, but this was never built. The building was designed with two levels; the main church space and a basement. The church's main entrance has an arcaded portico with columns of Portland and Bath stone. The entrance led to a lobby with stair access to the gallery space on each side and doors to the main body of the church. The nave contained a central aisle, side aisles and a clerestory. Flanking both sides of the altar space were the minister and choir vestries. The west end of the gallery contained the organ and narrower sections spanned above the side aisles. The original pulpit and communion fittings were of stained oak and deal, while the font was made from Portland stone, with columns of polished Bardilla stone. The church's basement level was built to include four classrooms and a Sunday school room, the latter of which was also used for meetings and other events.
