Preston Central Methodist Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Preston Central Methodist Church
Lune Street entrance
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OS grid reference	SD 537 294
Location	Lune Street, Preston, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Methodist Church of Great Britain
Membership	69
Weekly attendance	96
Website	Preston Central Methodist Church
History
Former name(s)	Preston Central Wesleyan Methodist Church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	27 September 1979
Architect(s)	Poulton and Woodman (remodelling)
Architectural type	Church
Groundbreaking	1817
Completed	1818 with further alterations in 1863
Construction cost	£6,000
Specifications
Materials	Brick, sandstone façade, slate roof
Administration
Circuit	Preston Ribble Methodist
District	Lancashire

Preston Central Methodist Church is an important church located on Lune Street in Preston, Lancashire, England. It is an active Methodist church. It belongs to the Preston Ribble Methodist Circuit and the Lancashire district. The church is officially recognized as a special building. It is listed as Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is a building of historical or architectural importance that needs to be protected.

Church History

The church was first built in 1817. It was known as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel back then. Building it cost about £6,000, which was a lot of money at the time! It was also one of the very first public buildings in the country to be lit by gas. This was a new and exciting technology.

Later, in 1862–63, the church was updated and remodelled. This work was done by architects Poulton and Woodman. In the 1990s, a hall inside the church was changed. It became a place where poor and homeless people could sleep. The entrance area was also made bigger. This allowed for a coffee shop, a kitchen, a crèche (a place for young children), and toilets. More improvements were made in 2006 to make it easier to get into the front of the church.

Church Design

Outside the Church

The church is built mostly from brick. The front part, which faces the street, is made of sandstone ashlar (smooth, cut stone blocks). The roof is covered with slate. The building is shaped like a rectangle and stands sideways to the street.

The front of the church looks the same on both sides. It has a very large, rounded arch. This arch is supported by two pairs of Corinthian columns. These columns have fancy tops. The arch has decorative moulding around it. Above the arch, there is a triangular shape called a gable with small block-like decorations called dentils.

At the top of the columns, there are more decorative mouldings called cornices. These extend out over the side sections of the building. These side sections have two round-headed windows, one on each floor. The lower windows are partly covered by notice boards. The upper windows have circular patterns in their glass. Under the main arch, steps lead up to a porch. This porch has doorways and a special window called a Venetian window. Along the sides of the church, there are two rows of round-headed windows. At the back, there is a two-storey extension with gabled porches and round-headed doorways that have fan-shaped windows above them.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has a gallery that is shaped like a horseshoe. This gallery is held up by thin cast iron columns. These columns have Ionic caps, which are decorative tops. The gallery also has a fancy balustrade (a railing) with leaf-like designs. The ceiling has sunken panels, which is called being coffered. In the middle of the ceiling, some of these panels are made of glass.

The church used to have a pipe organ built by Gray and Davison. It had two manuals (keyboards). This organ was replaced in 1881. The new organ was built by W. E. Richardson and had three manuals.

See also

• Listed buildings in Preston, Lancashire
• List of Methodist churches