Details
YORK
SE5951NE PRIORY STREET
1112-1/15/885 (North East side)
25/06/82 Assembly of God Pentecostal Church
and building attached at rear
(Formerly Listed as:
PRIORY STREET
Wesley Chapel & Lecture Hall with
forecourt railings & lamp standards)
GV II*
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and attached lecture hall; now
Pentecostal Church. 1854; lecture hall later C19. Chapel by
James Simpson of Leeds; lecture hall extension at rear
possibly by GT Andrews.
MATERIALS: chapel of orange-red brick in Flemish bond, on
sandstone ashlar plinth; portico, dressings and chamfered
quoins of sandstone; roof obscured by rendered parapet with
stone coping. Extension of pink-cream mottled brick in Flemish
bond, timber eaves cornice on shaped brackets, and hipped
slate roofs.
EXTERIOR: chapel front: 2 storeys, 5 bays, outer bays wider
than the inner ones. Three centre bays, approached by flight
of steps, grouped to form tristyle portico of tripled antae
with moulded bases, necking bands of anthemion and
egg-and-dart moulding, and full entablature. Glazed double
doors are C20 replacements beneath semicircular fanlights in
round arched architraves with keyblocks and pilaster responds
with moulded imposts. Windows on both floors have
round-arched, keyed architraves: ground floor windows have
plain sills on block brackets and moulded cornices on carved
consoles: first floor windows have moulded sills on shaped
consoles in plain sill band, and architraves with segmental
pediments. Moulded eaves string and dentil cornice surmounted
by parapet with flat coping, interrupted by pilaster piers.
Left and right returns: 2 storeys, 7 bays. Details repeat
those of main front, except that ground floor windows are
segment-headed. Extension has part-glazed double doors beneath
small-pane overlights. Other windows largely 12-pane sashes
with thin glazing bars, painted stone sills and cambered heads
beneath flat arches.
INTERIOR: main entrance doors in keyed round-arched doorcases
with sunk panelled pilasters. Foyer panelled to full height
with partly fluted Ionic pilasters and moulded transverse
beams carrying tunnel vaulted ceiling. Glazed and panelled
screen to auditorium incorporates 8-panel doors beneath panels
carved with volutes and grapes: in centre, First World War
memorial panel cast with St George and Dragon and the names of
"members of the Church and congregation" who gave their lives.
All panelling is raised and fielded. At each side, panelled
doors lead to gallery staircases which are open string with
turned bobbin balusters, three to a tread, scrolled tread
ends, and mahogany handrail, wreathed at foot around turned
newel. Auditorium has oval gallery on cast-iron Composite
columns, with oak panelled front. On ground floor, walls
panelled to dado rail beneath moulded round window arches
linked by impost band. Coved modillion cornice enriched with
egg-and-dart mouldings beneath coffered and panelled ceiling.
At north-west end, massive mahogany pulpit approached by stair
with cast-iron balustrade and, above, organ in mahogany case,
by James Binns of Bramley, Leeds. Original fitted pewing
survives almost complete in auditorium and gallery: pulpit
rail dismantled and in store. All windows except for one in
auditorium contain good stained glass. Fine Art Nouveau
glazing of fanlights, foyer screen and gallery windows.
Extension: 2 open string staircases, linked by first floor
gallery, have slender column-on-vase balusters with moulded
handrail wreathed at foot of stairs around similar newel.
Panelled double doors beneath glazed screen lead to
full-height main hall of 3 bays articulated by pilasters on
high plinth, separated by shallow segment-headed niches.
Moulded cornice to coved ceiling with glazed central
roof-light, now painted over, and cast-iron ventilation
grilles. Tall folding doors close hall off from annexe. Rooms
flanking left side of hall retain plain fireplaces with heavy
mantelshelves on shaped consoles.
(Pace GG: Bishophill: York: York: 1974-: 4, 25).
Listing NGR: SE5988451511
