Wesleyan Sunday Schools: Regent Road, Salford

NEW WESLEYAN SCHOOL-ROOMS IN SALFORD - On Saturday afternoon the foundation stone of a new Wesleyan Sunday Schoolroom was laid in Regent Road, Salford. The premises in the locality in which the schools and religious services have been conducted for the past forty years have been found inconvenient, and a more suitable building has long been desired. It is now intended to erect a chapel and schoolrooms at a cost of £4,000; but the school building only will be proceeded with at present, and the more sanguine of the promoters scarcely hope that the entire plan will be carried out within three or four years. In the afternoon the Building Committee, the contractors (Messrs J Statham and Sons, Pendleton), the ministers of the circuit (2nd Manchester), the school trustees, the Sunday school scholars and teachers and friends walked in a procession in which many banners were displayed, from the Irwell-street Schoolroom to the site, a piece of ground adjoining the Infantry Barracks and bounded by Regent Road, Dixon-street and Taylor-street. The architect is Mr G Woodhouse of Bolton.

The school building which will be 70 feet long by 39 feet wide and 44 feet from the floor to the ridge of the high pitched roof, will be a neat Gothic structure of brick with red stock brick facings relieved with Staffordshire blue bricks in string courses and arches. At the ends of the building fronting Dixon-street and Taylor-street will be high pointed gables, in each of which will be a Gothic window of stonework, having three large circular lights and eyelets convenient to the staircase in each gable. Beneath these windows will be a moulded stone string course, terminating in carved bosses. At the back of the building will be two large gablets, in which will be large pointed windows, the heads of which will be filled with neat tracery. The building, which will be entered through pointed doorways at each end, will consist of two storeys. On the ground floor will be an infant schoolroom, with four classrooms and other offices. The first floor will e one large room, which will be used as a Sunday-school and preaching room until the intended chapel is built. The school will afford accommodation for 600 scholars, including 150 infants. The total cost of the building, including fittings will be £1,500, and £500 are required for the land for the school and chapel. A space has been left for the chapel, which will be built between the schoolroom and Regent Road at a cost of about £2,000. Of the sum required £800 has been raised. Report continues with proceedings [Manchester Guardian Monday 19 September 1864 Page 3 Column 3]