Description

BRIGHTON

TQ3203NW MONTAGUE PLACE
577-1/48/524 (West side)
Methodist Church and attached
railings

II

Methodist church, now recording studios. Dated 1873, the plans
dated 1 March, 1872. Designed by Thomas Lainson and built by
John Fielder for the Rev. Martin. Red and brown brick set in
English bond, dressings of stone as well as light red and
white brick. Roofs of slate, tower roof of lead.
PLAN: continuous nave and sanctuary of 3 bays, vestry at
ritual south-east corner (all directions given hereafter are
ritual), tower of 3 stages at south-west corner with entrance,
and stair turret at north-west corner; between the tower and
stair turret an open porch of 3 bays with lean-to roof of
slate. Adaptation of Italian Romanesque forms in
characteristic High Victorian manner.
EXTERIOR: the east end has 2 round-arched lights with jambs of
brick chamfered; stone sill and voussoirs; stone drip moulds
above each with floral stops. In the gable above is a blocked
roundel in stone. One the remaining elevations the motif of
paired, round-arched lights under brick relieving arch is
repeated with different details and in different materials.
South-east, single-storey vestry with 4 round-arched lights in
stone, now partly blocked; relieving arch in light and dark
bricks unties all 4. South elevation has 3 pairs of coupled,
round-arched windows with chamfered brick jambs and arches
which are subordered in stone; stone shafts with ballflower
capitals separate each pair of lights; relieving arch above in
white and light red brick. At the sill of the windows runs a
continuous frieze of stylized flowers. The basement windows
have brick, camber-arched lintels. South-east bell tower of 3
stages, square in plan with pyramidal roof splaying to short,
octagonal spire; triangular dormer with bell louvres to each
of the 8 faces. In the first stage a gabled porch to the
south, with a round-arched entrance; window in west face of
this is a window composed of 2, round-arched lights separated
by a shaft with cushion capital, and set in a flush surround
of stone with decorative patterns incised into the surface.
All remaining windows round arched. There is a stone coved
cornice and a brick corbel table below a parapet of light red
and white bricks above. West elevation: Between the south-west
tower and the north-west stair turret is an entry porch with a
round-arched arcade of 3 bays supported by columns with pink
granite shafts and moulded stone abaci; 3 round-arched windows
above are linked by common architrave; former hood moulding
stops have naturalistic ornament. Round-arched west entrance,
subordered with moulded brick; stone tympanum has roundels
carved with representations of the Paschal Lamb and flowers
surrounded by grape vine. One round-arched window to either
side of entry; paired, camber-arched windows to basement area.
There is round-arched door set into the west face of the stair
turret to the left; above are 3 stepped, round-arched lights;
the turret terminates in a corbel table and lean-to roof
ending just below the gable kneelers. The gable is filled with
a wheel window. A stone plaque below the west window in the
first stage of the tower bears the following, partially
obscured inscription: "This memorial stone was laid by Daniel
Pratt ?Soui??, October 7th, A.D. 1873, the Rev. Ieho? Martin,
Pastor, Thos. Lainson Arch., John Fielder Builder, Hitherto
Hath the Lord Helped Us". A timber-framed roof survives and
can be inspected from the top-floor flat.

Listing NGR: TQ3220503907

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Bristol Road Methodist Church at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q4968996

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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