St Paul's Didsbury | |
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The spire of St Paul's Didsbury
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53°24′47″N 2°13′49″W / 53.4130059°N 2.230219°WCoordinates: 53°24′47″N 2°13′49″W / 53.4130059°N 2.230219°W | |
Location | 781 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 2RW |
Country | United Kingdom |
Denomination | Former Methodist Church |
History | |
Former name(s) | St Paul's Methodist Church, Didsbury |
Founded | 1877 |
Dedication | Paul the Apostle |
Events | 1990: converted to office space |
Architecture | |
Status | Former church |
Functional status | Office conversion |
Heritage designation | Grade II |
Designated | 3 October 1974 |
Architect(s) | H.H. Vale |
Style | Gothic Revival |
Groundbreaking | 1875 |
Completed | 1877 |
Construction cost | £20,000 |
Closed | 1987 |
Specifications | |
Materials | Sandstone |
Administration | |
District | Manchester and Stockport District |
St Paul's Methodist Church is a former Methodist Church in the Manchester suburb of Didsbury. The building was designed by the architect H.H. Vale as a church for the nearby Wesleyan Theological Institution and opened in 1877. The building was converted into an office space in 1990. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
St Paul's Church was built as a memorial to the local philanthropist and MP, James Heald of Parrs Wood. It was designed by the Liverpudlian architect H.H. Vale, who at the time was also collaborating with Cornelius Sherlock on the design of the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. During the project, Vale committed suicide, and the church was completed by T D Barry & Sons. Construction lasted from 1875 to 1877.
Built in the Victorian Gothic style, Vale's church displays freely interpreted elements of Early English and Geometrical Decorated Gothic architecture. The layout is cruciform with a belfry and steeple on the south-west corner. The stonework is sandstone and architectural elements typical of the style are used throughout, such as lancet windows and foliar decoration, with dormer windows along the nave.