United Methodist Free Church and Schools, Bridge Street, Todmorden

BRIDGE STREET NEW CHAPEL - The block of the new chapel will cover nearly the whole area of land upon which the old chapel stood and also the vacant space to the boundary in Brook Street. The main front will be in Bridge Street, facing the new Town Hall. The extreme external dimensions of the building will be 121 feet long and 61 feet wide. The basement storey consists of a large schoolroom 67 feet by 49 feet and in conjunction therewith seven good classrooms and a large infants’ room. The schoolroom will be 15 feet high and accommodation will be provided for 1,000 scholars. Special care has been taken in the arrangements for entrances: altogether there will be six doors in connection with the school and good spacious staircases will be provided connecting the school with the chapel. The internal dimensions of the main floor of the chapel are 84 feet 3 inches by 49 feet, and at the rear of the building there are two vestries and a lecture room. There is a gallery which will be continued all round. The organ is intended to be placed in a recess over the lecture room. Accommodation will be provided for 1,100 adults and 250 scholars. The plan of the chapel has been carefully studied with special reference to the two essential qualifications of sight and sound. Although the building is in the Gothic style, great care has been taken to avoid obstruction to sight, and it is claimed for this plan that it is as free from such obstruction as any chapel yet erected. Every person will thus have an uninterrupted view of the minister. The roof is in one span so that there are no pillars save those necessary to support the gallery. There will be three main entrances at the front of the building, two of them being approached by bold flights of steps from Bridge Street and one from Calder Street. In addition, there are two entrances from Brook Street so that the congregation will be able to disperse with the greatest facility. The ceiling will be circular in form, divided into bays by bold double ribs springing from hammer beams with carved stone corbels. The arch over the orchestra will be moulded, springing from granite columns with carved stone capitals. The ceiling of the orchestra will be groined and enriched. The gallery front will be richly panelled, divided by buttresses and having pierced quatrefoil ornament. All the wood will be of pitch-pine and varnished. As already stated, the style of the building will be Gothic with geometric tracery. The walls are of stone faced with Yorkshire parpoints and having dressings of local stone, The whole of the side windows are three-light with tracery heads of a rich but bold and vigorous character. The sides are divided into bays by massive buttresses giving an appearance of strength and dignity. The main feature in the front gable is the large six-light window having deeply splayed tracery head with columns and carved capitals. The design shows a tower and spire which, rising to a height of 180 feet, will form a prominent landmark. The spire will be relieved by gables surmounted by a bold finial and vane. The whole of the windows will be glazed with tinted cathedral glass having enriched coloured borders. The cost will be £11,000 exclusive of upper part of the tower and spire. The contractors for the various works are as follows; Masonry and brickwork, Mr Thomas Mitchell of Luddenden; carpenter and joiners’ work, Mr Booth of Todmorden; plumbers’ work, Messrs Walsh and Son, Halifax; and plasterers’ work Messrs Blacka of Todmorden. Mr Chadwick is the clerk of works and the whole of the buildings are being erected from the designs and under the superintendence of Mr Edward Potts, architect of Oldham. [Todmorden and District News 8 August 1873 page 5]

Reference    Manchester Guardian Tuesday 10 December 1872 Page  (Contracts)
Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 14 December 1872 Page 10 (Contracts)
Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 21 December 1872 Page 12 (Contracts)
Reference    Todmorden and District News Friday 8 August 1873 page 5 – corner stones