Congregational Chapel Cleckheaton Yorkshire

CLECKHEATON.—New Congregational Chapel.—The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of a new Congregational Chapel in Westgate has been performed by Sir James Watts, of Manchester. A limited competition for designs was invited; and out of the plans sent in those of Mr H. J. Paull, FRIBA, of Manchester and London, were selected. The following is a description of the buildings: The site has a frontage of 29 yards to the main road, and is bounded on either side by a street 11 yards wide. The surface falls rapidly from front to back, so that underneath the schoolroom, which is to be in the rear of the chapel and on the same level as the chapel floor, there will be a suite of class rooms. The school premises have been specially arranged to suit both week-day and Sunday-school requirements; and ample accommodation will be provided for 80 infants and 350 other children, according to the regulations of the Education Department. Capital open playgrounds arc placed on either side between the streets and the school building, and connected therewith is to be a large covered space, measuring 250 superficial yards and 10 feet clear height, obtained under a portion of the chapel. This will be floored with fine gravel and the ceiling will be boarded. The schoolroom is 59 feet  by 32 feet  wide, and 22 feet  high to the centre portion of the ceiling. At the end is a platform recess, and a private staircase for the use of committees at public meetings and for orchestra performers at concerts. The room will be well lighted by windows on either side. Owing to the limited dimensions of the land and the necessity for playgrounds to be attached to the school premises, the area for disposal for a large chapel was comparatively small; and this necessitated a special treatment in the design. As planned this new chapel will be quite a novelty, and it is believed will be a great success in every respect. The general arrangement may be described as a double nave intersected by a continuous transept, the latter extending the full width of the site. Each nave is 25 feet  wide, and the width of the transept corresponds therewith. Three cast-iron columns suffice to carry the roof timbers of the entire building, the area clear of walls being 435 superficial yards. The pulpit will occupy a central position adjacent to one of these columns, and the ground-floor seats are arranged in a semicircle, the outer line of which reaches the transept. End and side galleries are conveniently planned to suit the peculiar arrangement of the building, and two stone staircases are provided in the angles of junction of naves and transepts. Another stone staircase from one of the side galleries leads down to the basement floor of the school premises. The chapel will accommodate nearly a thousand persons, 566 on the ground-floor and 372 in the galleries. The ground floor is arranged so as to give a large proportion of short pews, and there are four alleys in the total width of the naves. In the front is a continuous vestibule or corridor extending the whole width of the naves, and containing the outer and inner entrance doors. This has slated roof and gabled door ways. Externally the chapel bespeaks the internal construction, and is correspondingly unique. The front elevation shows two gables, each containing a handsome three-light traceried window; and at their juncture is a turret 8 feet square, projecting 3 feet from the wall face, and continued as an octagon above the roofs to a total height of 90 feet from the ground. The upper portion of this turret will be of hewn stone throughout. The transept gables abutting upon the side streets contain a central window of two lights, with one-light window on either side of it, and all containing tracery in the upper part. A separate range of windows will light the ground floor underneath the galleries. The style of the building is English Gothic of the geometrical period, which is consistently followed in all the details. The walls will be built of rubble stone, faced with square parpoints in regular courses of from three to five inches thick, and hewn stone for all the dressings. The roofs are to be slated, and the timbers exposed to view internally will be stained and varnished. The joiners' work throughout will be of pitch pine varnished. For warming the whole of the building, Messrs Haden & Sons' combined system of warm air and hot water will be adopted; and it is intended to use Boyle's air-pump ventilators for extraction of foul air. The contracts have been taken as follows :—J. Drake and Son, Cleckheaton, masons' work, &c, £3,216; J. Fawcett & Sons, Huddersfield, joiners' work, £2,885; W.Watson, Leeds, slating, £256 ; Duckworth & Son, Bradford, plastering, £316; J. Brook & Co., Heckmondwike, plumbing and glazing and gas-lighting, £618; J. Peel, Cleckheaton, painting, &c, £140; Haden and Sons, heating apparatus, £148. 10s; total, £7,579. 10s. [British Architect 6 March 1874 Page 155]

CLECKHEATON.— On Shrove Tuesday the foundation-stone of a new Congregational Chapel was laid at Cleckheaton. Mr. H. J. Paull, of Manchester, is the architect. The general arrangement may be described as a double nave intersected by a continuous transept, the latter extending the full width of the site. Each nave is 25ft. wide, and the width of the transept corresponds there with. Three cast-iron columns suffice to carry the roof timbers of the entire building, the area clear of walls being 435 superficial yards. The pulpit will occupy a central position adjacent to one of these columns, and the ground-floor seats are arranged in a semi-circle, the outer line of which reaches the transept. End and side galleries are conveniently planned to suit the peculiar arrangement of the building. The chapel will accommodate nearly a thousand persons, 566 on the ground-floor, and 372 in the galleries. Externally the chapel bespeaks the internal construction. The front elevation shows two gables, and at their juncture is a turret 8ft. square projecting 3ft. from the wall face, and continued as an octagon above the roofs to a total height of 90ft. from the ground. The upper portion of this turret will be of hewn stone through- out. The style of the building is English Gothic of the Geometrical period. The walls will be of rubble stone, faced with square parpoints in regular courses of from three to five inches thick, and hewn stone for all the dressings. The roofs are to be slated, and the timbers exposed to view internally will be stained and varnished. The cost will be £7,580.  [Building News 27 February 1874 page 243]

Reference    British Architect 6 March 1874 Page 155
Reference    Building News 27 February 1874 page 243