Details
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PERRANARWORTHAL
PERRANWELL STATION
Perranwell Station Methodist Church including boundary walls
GV
II
Methodist chapel and boundary walls. 1878. By James Hicks of Redruth. Killas rubble, dressed elvan, granite and Bath stone; walling brought to course at entrance front. Steep Delabole dry slate roofs with gable ends; vestry roof at lower pitch with brick chimney at rear (south east) gable end.
Large rectangular aisless plan with stair and entrance hall at north west end, flanked by stair turrets, which project slightly from side walls; chapel, over schoolroom, with gallery to three sides and organ bay over vestry at south east end. Gothic style.
Symmetrical north west three-bay entrance gable over plinth, with bays divided by buttresses surmounted by spirelets, those flanking central bay square and weathered and octagonal ones to corners. Central shouldered doorway with original doors resited to inner face of wall, blind traceried tympanum over; all within pointed arched gabled outer porch doorway with fluted square jambs with moulded capitals surmounted by pinnacles.
Flanking single-light trefoil-headed windows and four shouldered arched windows above porch and three tall pointed arched windows rising into gable over; central window taller and wider with three lights instead of one, moulded pier and impost capitals; hoodmoulds and relieving arches over, and gable ventilator.
Left and right-hand stair well bays: each bay has blind arch over plinth framing inscription; tall two-light pointed mid floor stair window with double transom, roundel, hoodmould and relieving arch; blind trefoil-headed arcade band over. Side walls are identical except for organ and vestry bay which is lit to south west stair turret side and blind to opposite side.
Each side wall has stair projection at north west side and four bays of two-light windows, square-headed to basement and with double transoms, pointed arches and roundels to first floor. Each stair turret has chamfered doorway with original door within outer pointed arch framing blind tympanum with roundel. Hoodmould to doorway and lancet over. Windows have original leaded glass to entrance front and stairs, otherwise iron casements.
Interior is virtually as built except for alteration for insertion of central stair within entrance, circa 1904 to designs by Mr Collins, an architect of Redruth and carried out by Mr W.H. Moyle. The Gallery, semi-circular on plan at the north west end, with panelled front, is carried on cast iron columns. The organ, fitted circa 1900 is within a room behind the rostrum linked to the main building by a pointed moulded chancel arch with hoodmould, and inner order carried on short columns.
The main T-stair (1904) has turned balusters also survive, two flights flanking main stair, and one flight for access to vestry. The roof structure is a dominant feature, mock hammer beam with square section iron ties and crown hangers with mouldings to obscure joints. Rostrum with lecturn over blind arcade with turned balustrades to either side terminating in pedestals surmounted by candelabra, flanked by two flights of steps, and with communion rail balustrade to front. Pews are pitch pine with panelled backs, shaped ends and intermediate ramped armrests. Granite coped rubble walling to entrance, main gate-piers with moulded caps. Iron gates.
Walter Visick Asst. Sec of Visick's Foundry, nearby, was one of the original trustees (1878) and it is very likely that the ironwork of the chapel was manufactured there.
Historical information from the centenary booklet PERRANWELL METHODIST CHURCH, a useful source, and including a list of the original trustees. This building was constructed in 1878 for a relatively small community, and as such is remarkably ambitious in design and scale. It is virtually complete despite small fires in 1922 and 1976 which threatened to destroy it, but fortunately extinguished in time.
Listing NGR: SW7762339465
