Maiden Street Methodist Church

The shell of the former church, seen in 2008.

Maiden Street Methodist Church is a former Methodist church in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Built between 1866 and 1870, it was later the victim of fire in 2002, resulting in its replacement with a new church, Weymouth Bay Methodist Church.[1] The former church has been Grade II* Listed since 1996.[2]

History

Maiden Street Methodist Church was designed by architects Foster and Wood, and constructed between 1866 and 1870. It cost £3,500 and was built using Flemish bond brickwork, along with Portland stone, in a Lombardic Romanesque style.[2] Later alterations were made in 1955, and a major restoration in 1998-99,[3] when £160,000 was spent on the building.[4]

In January 2002, the church was a victim of fire, which left it a ruined shell without a roof. The cause of the fire was not determined, but due to the high costs of restoring the building, the local Methodist circuit opted to build a new church instead. The Weymouth Bay Methodist Church would open in 2009.[4] After the fire, demolition work quickly began on the interior, which Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, English Heritage and structural engineers agreed was necessary to make the building safe.[5] The interior was replaced with scaffolding to support the shell.[3]

Listed on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register in 2004,[6] the church was put up for sale in 2006,[7] and sold to the development company Project 20 who, in 2007, obtained planning permission to restore part of the church and build a new building within its shell. A restaurant was planned for the ground floor, with fifteen residential units located on the higher levels.[3] However, no work started and despite an extension of the original planning permission being granted in 2010, the site remained undeveloped.[8] The building was sold again in 2016 to a private buyer.[9] Although no plans for the church have been revealed, the new owner is in discussion with Historic England over its future.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Martin Lea (2009-03-25). "New £2.5m Weymouth Methodist Church rises from ashes". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  2. 1 2 "MAIDEN STREET METHODIST CHURCH, Weymouth and Portland - 1142294". Historic England. 1996-09-02. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  3. 1 2 3 "Planning Application Details". Webapps.westdorset-weymouth.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  4. 1 2 Martin Lea (2009-03-25). "New £2.5m Weymouth Methodist Church rises from ashes". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  5. ↑ "Demolition work begins on burnt-out church". Dorset Echo. 2002-01-25. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  6. ↑ "New bid to save blaze-hit church". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  7. ↑ Paul Greaves (2006-03-22). "Fire-hit church up for sale". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  8. ↑ "Planning Application Details". Webapps.westdorset-weymouth.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  9. ↑ "Church gutted 14 years ago after devastating fire gets another chance to rise from the ashes". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  10. ↑ "Maiden Street Methodist Church, Maiden Street, Weymouth - Weymouth and Portland". Historic England. Retrieved 2017-10-23.

Coordinates: 50°36′28″N 2°27′13″W / 50.60764°N 2.45367°W / 50.60764; -2.45367

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