Methodist School Hanover Street Halifax

HALIFAX - A new Methodist Sunday-school has been built in Hanover-street, Halifax, at a cost of £3,375. Mr. H. J. Paull is the architect. The style is a free treatment of Northern Italian, adapted to the materials, which are pitch-faced-wall stones and hewn stone dressings. The elevations are very simple, and without ornamentation. The height to the apex of the gable or-pediment in the front will be 50ft., and 32ft. to-the eaves cornice. There is a large school or-assembly room, 72ft. long and 36ft. wide, within-the walls, exclusive of an organ-recess 16ft. by-12ft, and a transept 23ft. by 13ft. The height-from floor to wall plate is 22ft., and to centre-portion of the ceiling 27ft. Communicating with-the room and underneath are classrooms, and a lecture-room 35ft. by 24ft., and 15ft high. The-building provides floor-space for 700 scholars.

HALIFAX, May 11.—For the whole or portion of works in the erection of school and class-rooms. Mr H J Paull, FRIBA, St. Peter's Square, Manchester. [British Architect 8 May 1874 page 304 – contracts]

HALIFAX.—Hanover-street New Schools.—The friends of the Hanover-street New Connexion Chapel, in this town, have purchased a plot of ground on which they purpose to erect a new Sunday School. The property has a frontage to Hanover-street (west side), with frontages to Hopwood Lane and Bond-street. The contracts are already let, as follows: Mason, etc, Mr Michael Firth, Queensbury; joiner, Mr Anthony Sutcliffe, Lister Lane; slaters and plasterers, Messrs Crowther and Gledhill, Cadney's Croft; plumber and glazier, Mr John Naylor, Russell-street; painter, Mr Joseph Dell, Cadney's Croft  The total amount of their contracts is £3,375, which is inclusive of lighting, heating, and ventilation. The building will be handsome and very commodious. The architect engaged is Mr H. J. Paull, FRIBA, of Manchester and London, etc. Mr Paull has had extensive experience in erecting school buildings, etc. One of the finest schools in England—the Albion, at Ashton-under-Lyne— was designed by this gentleman. He also executed those very fine schools belonging to the Congregationalists at Great Horton; the Hope School, in Salford, etc. In consideration of his experience and aptitude in relation to such structures, Mr Paull was chosen architect for the Hanover New Schools, and his plans are eminently satisfactory. The new building will occupy a prominent position in the town. The end elevation, or principal front, will face to Bond-street, where the chief central entrance is to be; and the side will be close up to the causeway of Hopwood Lane, with another entrance at the lower end. Above this entrance a square turret or campanile tower has been contemplated, and is shown upon the architect's drawings, to rise about 33 feet  higher than the cornice of the main roof. If that should be eventually adopted, it will be the making of the building externally, the somewhat steep descent of the street surface from Bond-street rendering an "abutment," so to speak, at the lower end, very desirable for aesthetical reasons. It would also serve an important purpose as an extraction shaft for ventilation. The architectural style of the structure is a free treatment of North Italian work, adapted to the materials, which are pitch-faced wall-stones and hewn stone dressings. The elevations are very simple, and without ornamentation, but will be effective and well suited to the purpose. The height to the apex of the gable or pediment in the Bond-street front will be 50 feet , and 32 feet  to the eaves cornice. The site is irregular in form and on the surface, and has necessitated special arrangements and construction to adapt the building to it. The accommodation to be provided is as follows, viz., a large school or assembly room, 72 feet  long and 36 feet  wide, within the walls, exclusive of an organ recess 16 feet  by 12 feet , and a transept 23 feet  by 13 feet  The height from floor to wall plate is 22 feet  and to centre portion of the ceiling 27 feet  At one end (next to Bond-street) will be a gallery five seats deep, having an enclosed library and class-room underneath it. Windows will be on either side of the room and at the front end, the latter being a "wheel'' window of appropriate design. The capacity of the assembly room for a seated audience of adults, exclusive of the organ or speaker's plat form, is for upwards of 650. Communicating with the room are six rooms of various sizes for classes, superintendent, etc, and underneath, on the ground floor storey, are good class-rooms, an infants' class-room with rising gallery, to accommodate 100, and a lecture room 35 feet  by 24 feet  and 15 feet  high. The lecture room occupies an arm of the site, the "transept" being overhead, and the floor level is 4 feet below that of the ground floor class-rooms, which is obtained by the fall of the ground. From the Bond-street entrance a central corridor runs through to the other end, having the class-room doors on either hand. Ample arrangements are provided for tea meetings, both for smaller parties in the lecture room and larger gatherings in the assembly room, the united capacity of both rooms for a " single sitting down "' being fully 600. The building generally may be correctly stated to provide convenient floor space, with abundant proportional cubical contents, for the simultaneous instruction of 700 Sunday scholars in attendance, or a school of 950 scholars on the books, and to supply every possible convenience which enlightened advancement and matured experience have dictated to be necessary and desirable for the complete working of such an institution. We believe the works will be proceeded with at once. [British Architect 5 June 1874 page 364]

Reference    Building News 5 June 1874 page 627
Reference    British Architect 8 May 1874 page 304 – contracts]
Reference    British Architect 5 June 1874 page 364