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Summary

Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and associated school buildings, High Street, Bassingham.

Full description

Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, High Street. Built in 1939 it replaced an earlier chapel. In 1855 a school was built at the rear of the chapel followed by the arrival of a schoolmaster and his family. {1}{2}{3}

The site was visited in 2009. The first Wesleyan chapel was built in 1802 and was rebuilt on the same site in 1839-40 at a cost of £1000. It is still currently in use as a Methodist chapel. A large Wesleyan School and a teacher's house were built in 1855, both of which survive. The day school closed in 1893, though the premises remained on a separate trust until at least 1912. By the 1950s responsibility had passed to the chapel trustees. The chapel is a large square building with two tiers of windows and a pyramidal roof which was reslated in the 1980s. The roof has a central square vent which was restored in the 1980s. The main front elevation has a central doorway with paired panel doors. A panel above the doors, flanked by brackets, is inscribed 'Wesleyan Chapel MDCCCXXX'. The upper tier has 3 bays of segmental-headed windows separated by pilasters. The side elevations have three bays of segmental-headed windows, in two tiers, divided by brick pilasters, the upper windows with glazing bars and the lower windows with leaded coloured glass The front and side elevations have a brick string-course and corbel table. An annexe with an asymetrical gabled roof and a separate doorway is attached to the rear elevation. It has three stepped, tall, narrow, round-headed windows in the upper tier and segmental-headed, glazing-bar windows in the lower tier. The separate school room of 1855 has 5 bays, including 2 doorways, and 3 large segmental-headed windows on the front elevation. The eaves cornice has dogtooth brickwork and an ashlar date stone is set in the gable. {4}{5}{6}{7}

Bassingham Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built in 1839 of red brick with slate roofs. The Sunday Schoolroom was added sixteen years later in 1855. The Ordnance Survey map of 1887 shows the chapel as a rectangular building with a smaller wing to the south stepped in slightly to east and west, with the long rectangle of the Sunday School Room to the south. By 1905 (the date of the second edition Ordnance Survey map) the rear wing had been extended to the east and a second storey added so that it could be opened into the main body of the chapel, beneath an arch, in order to create the south upper gallery. This work seems to have included refurnishing the chapel and constructing a new pulpit. A partition wall is said to have been inserted into the Schoolroom in the 20th century to create the area now (2011) occupied by a small kitchen, and a false ceiling has been inserted into the room at the south end.For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {8}{9}

The former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Schoolroom were visited in March 2013, as part of the creation of a Statement of Significance. This report was produced to assess the condition and significance of the buildings, and to inform a proposal for their conversion to residential use. The structures represent well-preserved examples of early Victorian non-conformist religious buildings, and largely retain their original appearance and layout, although some alterations have been made. {10}

<1> North Kesteven District Council, pre 1995, Bassingham Village Walk, - (Leaflet). SLI9041.

<2> William White, 1856, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire - Second Edition, p.333 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI886.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1902-06, 25 Inch County Series Map - Second Edition, 85/4 (Map). SLI3566.

<4> Lincolnshire County Council, 2009, Lincolnshire Archives - Methodist Records, Bassingham High Street Chapel (Website). SLI12339.

<5> R.W. Ambler, 1979, Lincolnshire Returns of the Census of Religious Worship, 1851, page 85 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI7745.

<6> Lincolnshire County Council, 2004-2009, GIS layer depicting locations and survival of nonconformist chapels, 62878 (Digital Archive). SLI9638.

<7> Christopher Stell, 2002, Inventory of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting Houses in Eastern England, page 197 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI9202.

<8> English Heritage / Historic England, 2011->, Advice Report from a Heritage Asset Assessment, Case No. 469157 (Unpublished Document). SLI13505.

<9> Historic England (formerly English Heritage), 2011->, The National Heritage List for England, 1405886 (Website). SLI13386.

<10> Pre-Construct Archaeological Services Ltd, 2013, Bassingham Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Schoolroom, High Street, Bassingham, - (Report). SLI14695.

Monument Types

• WESLEYAN METHODIST CHAPEL (Post Medieval to Modern - 1839 AD to 2050 AD)
• SCHOOL (Post Medieval - 1855 AD to 1893 AD)
• SCHOOL HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1855 AD to 1893 AD)
• COMMUNITY CENTRE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1893 AD? to 2050 AD)

Associated Events

• A site visit to the Methodist Chapel and school room, Bassingham
• Site visit to nonconformist chapel and school buildings, High Street, Bassingham
• Site Visit to the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Schoolroom, High Street, Bassingham

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• Conservation Area

Sources and further reading

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.