Vale Royal Methodist Church | |
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51°07′43″N 0°15′42″E / 51.1287°N 0.2616°E | |
Location | Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent |
Country | England |
Denomination | Methodist Church of Great Britain |
History | |
Former name(s) | Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Closed |
Heritage designation | Local heritage asset |
Architect(s) | Charles Bell |
Completed | 3 June 1873 |
Construction cost | £5,000 |
Closed | 5 April 2015 |
Vale Royal Methodist Church, also historically Vale Royal Chapel [1] and Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church, [2] was a Methodist Church of Great Britain parish church in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It was opened in 1873 and stopped being used as a church on Easter 2015. [3] It was later renovated to become a gym.
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, visited Tunbridge Wells in his early years as a preacher and gained a small congregation there. [4] Meetings initially took place in the Presbyterian chapel [5] at Little Mount Sion, which had opened in 1721; [6] Wesley preached there "on several occasions". [5] The congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church purchased land on what is now Vale Road for a small chapel in 1812 [5] and worshipped in an inclusive way by also using Church of England liturgy during Sunday morning services by 1863. [7] Due to the growth of the congregation, they expanded the original chapel twice, but eventually required larger premises. Work began in 1872 [8] and the church opened on 3 June 1873 at a cost of £5,000. [3] [4] [7] It was built to designs by the architect Charles Bell [3] [8] and was built by the firm of Willicombe and Oakley. [8] The church's organ was installed in 1883 and was opened by William Thomas Best. [9] In the 1930s, the majority of Vale Royal's stained glass windows were installed. [3]
Due to the cost of maintenance of the church building, the Vale Royal congregation had proposed demolition and rebuilding of the church with 14 flats on the site in 2010. [10] [11] However this proposal was rejected the following year by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as "out of character" with the local area. [10] Eventually the congregation put the church up for sale, but the council noted that though the church was not a listed building, it was a local heritage asset. [12] The church held its last service on Easter Day in 2015 before closing and the Methodist congregation moved to worship at a nearby United Reformed Church. [3] The church eventually sold at auction for £900,000 in 2016, however the money went to the Methodist Church's headquarters and not the local congregation. [13] The church was later adapted into a gym with the building kept standing. [11] Vale Royal's licence to conduct marriages and Christian worship services within it, which was granted on 17 July 1873, [1] was formally revoked in 2018. [14]
Charles Bell, a London-based architect, designed Vale Royal Methodist Church in a style described as "early French Gothic [Revival]" [8] or as Perpendicular Gothic Revival. [5] It is of local Kentish ragstone laid in the form of random polygonal masonry, and there are dressings of paler Bath stone. The roof is laid with slate tiles. [8] The gabled façade has corner buttresses which rise to form tall finials [5] or pinnacles, and there is tracery in the windows. [8] The entrance porch is "raised high above street level" and has a triple archway. [5]
Vale Royal Methodist Church | |
---|---|
| |
51°07′43″N 0°15′42″E / 51.1287°N 0.2616°E | |
Location | Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent |
Country | England |
Denomination | Methodist Church of Great Britain |
History | |
Former name(s) | Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Closed |
Heritage designation | Local heritage asset |
Architect(s) | Charles Bell |
Completed | 3 June 1873 |
Construction cost | £5,000 |
Closed | 5 April 2015 |
Vale Royal Methodist Church, also historically Vale Royal Chapel [1] and Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church, [2] was a Methodist Church of Great Britain parish church in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It was opened in 1873 and stopped being used as a church on Easter 2015. [3] It was later renovated to become a gym.
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, visited Tunbridge Wells in his early years as a preacher and gained a small congregation there. [4] Meetings initially took place in the Presbyterian chapel [5] at Little Mount Sion, which had opened in 1721; [6] Wesley preached there "on several occasions". [5] The congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church purchased land on what is now Vale Road for a small chapel in 1812 [5] and worshipped in an inclusive way by also using Church of England liturgy during Sunday morning services by 1863. [7] Due to the growth of the congregation, they expanded the original chapel twice, but eventually required larger premises. Work began in 1872 [8] and the church opened on 3 June 1873 at a cost of £5,000. [3] [4] [7] It was built to designs by the architect Charles Bell [3] [8] and was built by the firm of Willicombe and Oakley. [8] The church's organ was installed in 1883 and was opened by William Thomas Best. [9] In the 1930s, the majority of Vale Royal's stained glass windows were installed. [3]
Due to the cost of maintenance of the church building, the Vale Royal congregation had proposed demolition and rebuilding of the church with 14 flats on the site in 2010. [10] [11] However this proposal was rejected the following year by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as "out of character" with the local area. [10] Eventually the congregation put the church up for sale, but the council noted that though the church was not a listed building, it was a local heritage asset. [12] The church held its last service on Easter Day in 2015 before closing and the Methodist congregation moved to worship at a nearby United Reformed Church. [3] The church eventually sold at auction for £900,000 in 2016, however the money went to the Methodist Church's headquarters and not the local congregation. [13] The church was later adapted into a gym with the building kept standing. [11] Vale Royal's licence to conduct marriages and Christian worship services within it, which was granted on 17 July 1873, [1] was formally revoked in 2018. [14]
Charles Bell, a London-based architect, designed Vale Royal Methodist Church in a style described as "early French Gothic [Revival]" [8] or as Perpendicular Gothic Revival. [5] It is of local Kentish ragstone laid in the form of random polygonal masonry, and there are dressings of paler Bath stone. The roof is laid with slate tiles. [8] The gabled façade has corner buttresses which rise to form tall finials [5] or pinnacles, and there is tracery in the windows. [8] The entrance porch is "raised high above street level" and has a triple archway. [5]