Levenshulme, Wesley, Stockport Road

This chapel was built to plans by Paull and Ayliffe selected in December 1863, and the foundation stone was laid in April 1864. The cost was originally estimated at £3,000.

NEW WESLEYAN CHAPEL AT LEVENSHULME. The foundation stone of a new Methodist chapel was laid yesterday afternoon, at Levenshulme, by  Mr James Heald. The site of the building an open plot of ground purchased from Mr Hilton of Manchester, situate on the right of the Stockport Road, nearly opposite the Mechanics Institute, and has a frontage of 11 feet, facing the east. The south side is bounded by a street already laid out and owing to this street not being at right angles with the boundary, there will be a considerable space at the south-east corner which has been taken advantage of by the architects in the arrangement of the tower and spire The style of the building will be English Gothic, of the geometrical period. The front gable will rise to a height of 55 feet and there will also be gables over the side windows of the aisles. At the east end of the south aisle a tower and turret will be erected, terminating in a dwarf spire, 90 feet high. The general grouping the parts promises to be very effective. The walls will be built of brick, faced with Yorkshire stone, and the groins and other tracings of Hollington stone. The chapel will contain sittings for 500 on the ground floor, and 100 in an end gallery. It is not intended to provide side galleries at any time. Internally the plan of the chapel consists of a nave and aisles, divided by iron pillars and brick arches, transepts of slight projection, but which can be extended at any future time, and a recess for an organ at the rear of the pulpit; while adjoining the organ recess will be a vestry, and underneath it a chamber for the heating apparatus, which is to be fitted up by Mr Haden of Trowbridge and Manchester. …  [Manchester Courier 29 April 1864 page 3]

During his career H. J. Paull carried out numerous Nonconformist churches, chapels, and schools, all being in English or French  phases of Fourteenth Century Gothic. At this early part of his career he was in partnership with Oliver Aycliffe.

Built to seat 500, at the time of the 1940 Statistical Returns, it could seat 628.

Still open, having been refurbished after a fire in 2002. A photo can be seen here

Another view of the church as it is may be seen on the Circuit website

Grid Ref: SJ873946

Reference: The eleventh annual report of the Wesleyan Chapel Committee, 1865 page 116

Returns of accommodation … 1873. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1875

Statistical returns … as at July 1^st 1940. Manchester: Methodist Church, Department of Chapel Affairs, 1947

Building News 11 December 1863 page 921
Manchester Courier 29 April 1864 page 3

Architects of Greater Manchester, 1800-1940. Accessed 17 December 2019 https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/