Description
R Thornton Shiells, dated 1870. Early English gothic church. Rectangular plan; steeple to NW corner, octangonal stair tower to NE corner and former church hall to S. Stugged rubble; N and W elevations squared and coursed, E and S elevations squared and snecked . Ashlar dressings. Coped base course to N and W elevations. Eaves course to W and E elevations. Coped set-off buttresses. Chamfered margins. Droved margin drafts and angle margins. Lancet windows. Corinthian capitals to nook-shafts. Hoodmoulds to principal openings. Grey slates with contrasting bands to deeply pitched roof; red ridge tiles to nave.
Coped skews; some gabletted skewputts. Original rainwater goods, rainwater heads dated "18 AD 70". Some moulded eaves gutter.
Decorative iron door furniture to boarded doors.
N (ESKBANK ROAD, ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: short flight of steps to hoodmould pointed-arched doorway in gabled panel at centre; deeply moulded surround with nook-shafts; 2-leaf doors. Lancets flanking; buttress to left. Foliated string course above. Wheel window in hoodmoulded pointed-arched panel, with paired nook-shafts, above, half-vesica in gablehead. Steepleadvanced to right.
STAIR TOWER: 2-stage octagonal stair tower intercepting entrance elevation to left. coped course between stages, eaves course. Steps down to flat-arched doorway at basement to SE. Window to ground and 1st stages, taller at 1st, to N, E and SE. Segmental-arched openings at ground to N and E. Swept polygonal roof with finely splayed iron finial.
STEEPLE: 4 set-off stages. Angle-buttressed to 2nd stage.
Pointed-arched moulded doorpiece to N, with string course stepped over as hoodmould and flanking nook-shafts; pointed-arched and recessed trefoil detail, and "AD 1870" inscribed above chamfered lintel of shouldered-arched doorway with 2-leaf doors. 2-light window to W at ground. 3-light window to N and W at 1st stage. Lancet to N, W and S at 2nd stage. Tall, paired moulded louvred lancets, with clustered nook-shafts, to each face of 3rd stage belfry. Corbelled course above panels and richly carved eaves course. Broached spire; slits with Gothic aedicules, double string course and lucarnes on alternate faces above. Foliate detail to angle of broaching.
W (KING'S PARK) ELEVATION: steeple to left. 5-bay. Bay to left steeply gabled; 3-light window at ground, coped course above, large trefoil-traceried half-vesica in gablehead. Gableted buttress to right. 2-light windows in remaining bays, dividing butresses. Gabled elevation of former church hall with flanking buttresses, advanced to right; 4-light window, trefoiled oculus in gablehead.
E ELEVATION: stair tower to right. 5-bay. Bay to right steeply gabled : 3-light window at ground, large trefoil-traceried half-vesica in gablehead. 2-light windows in remaining bays, dividing buttresses. Gabled elevation of former church hall, with flanking buttresses, advanced to left; 2 windows, trefoiled oculus in gablehead; four-centred-arched door on return.
S ELEVATION: cusped half-vesica in gablehead. 4-light window above adjoining single storey former church hall at ground.
FORMER CHURCH HALL: 4-bay (1-1-2). Four-centred-arched fanlit doorway in bay to right of centre. Shouldered-arched windows; 3-light to left bays, 2-light to outer right bay. Shouldered and coped stacks wallhead to left, ridge to right.
INTERIOR: oblong hall; pulpit and organ to S, panelled gallery on cast-iron columns to N. Painted plaster walls and boarded dadoes. Kingpost timber roof with pointed vault; pierced quatrefoil detailing.
5-bay organ to S wall with built-in pulpit below; blind pointed-arched arcade to pulpit; four-centred-arched doors flanking. Traceried timber communion table, dated "April 1932", timber lectern and font en suite; arcaded timber rail. Stained wood pews.
Four-centred-arched doors to vestibule. Glazed partitions in vestibule; delicate linenfold panelling. Four-centred-arched doors to tower; spiral staircases with cast-iron balustrades and wooden rails.
STAINED GLASS: paired lancets in penultimate bays to S by William Wilson, 1939. Geometric stained glass to 4-light window to S. Delicate pastel coloured glass detailing to remaining windows, including wheel window, lancets flanking N entrance and 4-light in former church hall.
BOUNDARY WALLS: semicircular coped rubble retaining walls; low ashlar coped rubble wall to E.