User:The C of E/vr
| Vale Royal Methodist Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Methodist Church of Great Britain |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Closed |
| Heritage designation | Local heritage asset |
| Architect(s) | Charles Bell |
| Completed | 3 June 1873 |
| Construction cost | £5,000 |
| Closed | 5 April 2015 |
Vale Royal Methodist Church, also historically Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church,[1] was a Methodist Church of Great Britain parish church in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It was opened in 1873 and stopped being used as a church on Easter 2015.[2] It was later renovated to become a gym.
History[edit]
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley once preached in Tunbridge Wells and gained a small congregation there.[3] The congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church purchased land for a small chapel in 1812 and worshiped in an inclusive way by also using Church of England liturgy during Sunday morning services by 1863.[4] Due to the growth of the congregation, they expanded twice but eventually built Vale Royal as a larger church on the site which was completed on 3 June 1872 at a cost of £5,000.[2][3][4] It was built to designs by the architect Charles Bell.[2] The church's organ was installed in 1883 and was opened by William Thomas Best.[5] In the 1930s, the majority of Vale Royal's stained glass windows were installed.[2]
Closure[edit]
Due to the cost of maintenance of the church building, the Vale Royal congregation had proposed demolition and rebuilding of the church with 14 flats on the site in 2010.[6] However this proposal was rejected the following year by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as "out of character" with the local area.[7] Eventually the congregation put the church up for sale, but the council noted that though the church was not a listed building, it was a local heritage asset.[8] The church held its last service on Easter Day in 2015 before closing and the Methodist congregation moved to worship at a nearby United Reformed Church.[2] The church eventually sold at auction for £900,000, however the money went to the Methodist Church's headquarters and not the local congregation.[9] The church was later adapted into a gym with the building kept standing.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Vale Royal Wesleyan Methodist Church, Tunbridge Wells". The National Archives. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Alan (2016-06-14). "Royal Vale [sic] Methodist Church fetches £900,000". Kent Online. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ a b Turcan, Robert (2012). Tunbridge Wells Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445631790 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Brackett's Guide to Tunbridge Wells, 1863". University of Leicester. 2008-02-11. p. 37. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ Curtis, Gordon (2016). A Provincial Organ Builder in Victorian England: William Sweetland of Bath. Routledge. p. 53. ISBN 9781317187028.
- ^ "Times Local Newspapers & Magazines | Planning application points to new gym".
- ^ "Vale Royal" (Document). Broadlands.
{{cite document}}: Unknown parameter|accessdate=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|url=ignored (help) - ^ "Historic building goes to auction after sales stall". Times Local News. 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ "Bidding war pushes sale of the church". Times Local News. 2016-06-14. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ "Planning application points to new gym". Times Local News. 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2022-07-22.