Wheelock Wesleyan Chapel, 495A Crewe Road, Wheelock, Sandbach

WHEELOCK - The chief stones of a new Wesleyan chapel and school have been laid here. The site of the new chapel is in a central position, opposite the present chapel and school. The school will be underneath the chapel, which will seat 406 persons, the school and class-rooms affording accommodation for 500 scholars. The plan of the chapel is an oblong, with a gallery and orchestra, and the style of architecture is Gothic freely treated. Both the chapel and school will be well lighted and ventilated. The chapel roof will be in one span, to avoid obstructions to sight, and the floor of the chapel will be higher at the entrance than at the pulpit end, to prevent obstructions to sight when the congregation are seated, and this is obtained without steps. The vestibule will be laid with encaustic tiles, supplied by Messrs. Malkin, Edge, & Co., of Burslem, and the building is to be warmed with hot air. The contract for the buildings and fittings, which also includes railing, gates, and boundary-wall along the front of the site, but exclusive of warming, has been undertaken by Mr. William Martin, builder, Haslington, for £1,730, and will be carried out under the superintendence of the architect, Mr. George B. Ford, of Burslem. [Builder 17 August 1872 page 651]

WHEELOCK - New day and Sunday schools have been opened at Wheelock. The schools, which are for infants and girls, are in connexion with the Wesleyan Chapel, now in course of erection, but they are not to be devoted exclusively to the teaching of children whose parents belong to the Methodist body. The entire cost of the chapel and schools will be £2,300, towards which about £1,500 have already been received or promised. The schools are situated underneath the chapel, and are lofty and well ventilated, also fitted with Grindell's patent warming apparatus. Mr. J. B. Ford, of Burslem, is architect, and Mr. William Martin, of Haslington, is the contractor for the erection of the building. [Builder 14 February 1874 page 140]

WHEELOCK - A new chapel for the use of the Wesleyan Methodists resident at Wheelock, has been opened for public worship. The plans and specifications of the new building were prepared by Mr. G. B. Ford, of Burslem, architect, who has throughout superintended its erection. Tenders were invited and that of Mr. W. Martin, builder, Haslington, for £1,730, was accepted. The accommodation provided is for 406 persons in the chapel, and for 500 children in the school; the school being placed under the chapel, an arrangement necessitated owing to the site being considerably lower than the road along the front of it. The chapel is an oblong; the principal entrance to which is from the main road, through inner and outer vestibules fitted with swing glazed doors; these vestibules extend across the entire width of the building, at one end of which is a staircase leading to the gallery, which extends across the entrance end, and provision has been made for another staircase at a future time; at the opposite end of the chapel is the rostrum, behind which is the orchestra, and two vestries or class-rooms underneath; these vestries are approached by a staircase at the same end of the building, and the orchestra is also entered from the same. The school-room extends under the whole of the chapel and the front vestibules; and two class rooms on the same level are underneath the orchestra. The front elevation is in three bays divided by buttresses, the central one containing the two principal entrance doorways. The front gable is coped with stone with saddle stones and springers, and surmounted by iron vanes. The front of the site is to be enclosed by an iron railing at gates with dwarf wall and stone coping, and the approach from the same to the chapel is by a flight of stone steps. Internally, the chapel presents a partly open roof. The rostrum will be of spacious dimensions, flanked on each side by stairs, and enclosed by a communion balustrade. The pews, which are arranged with two aisles, have sloping backs, book-boards, and hat-rails. The whole of the interior woodwork is varnished, and except for the roof is of pitch-pine. The chapel and school are warmed by hot air, and the lighting is by gas standards of ornamental design. The glass used in the windows is the Hartley quarried glass. The external dimensions of the building, exclusive of buttresses, are, length 69 ft. 10 in. width, 32 ft. 8 in. The heating apparatus to be used is that patented by Grundy, of Tyldesley. The total cost of the building will be £2,300.   [Builder 16 May 1874 page 423]