The building illustrated is Wesley, Bridge Street. It was designed by F.R.N. Haswell (1834-1912) an architect based in North Shields, whose father was the Wesleyan minister Rev. John P. Haswell (1790-1870). He designed a number of other Wesleyan Methodist chapels, and is the subject of an article by G.R. Potts.
The chapel was erected in 1867-9, at a cost of £2,900, and was a structure of red brick with stone dressings: the organ was built at a cost of £200. It was built to seat 800 persons. A Sunday school, with class-rooms, was added in 1882.
Bridge Street was demolished in 1989 to make way for the Keel Row shopping centre, but a new church, Blyth Central was built in 1990 and is still a worshipping community.
Grid Ref: NZ313816
Reference: The fourteenth annual report of the Wesleyan Chapel Committee, 1868 page 123
Potts, G.R. “F.R.N. Haswell, Methodist architect 1834-1912” Wesley Historical Society (NE ) Bulletin, 53, March 1990, pp20-29
No Comments
Add a comment about this page