| Description | Lane United Reform Church, Upperthong. 1889 90 Congregational chapel
'Congregational 'Lane Chapel'. Holmfirth.
Built 1889 90 to replace a chapel of 1778 erected for independent members from Netherthong. In burial ground opposite, monuments including table tombs of the early 19th century'.
(Stell, C. 1994. 'Chapels and Meeting Houses in the North of England'. Page 272).
Lane United Reform Church was the subject of a planning application in 2003 for 'Change of use and alteration to convert chapel to 6 2 bedroom flats' (Kirklees Council planning reference number 2003/62/95120/W3). The architect’s plans relating to this application have been retained by WYAAS (PAD (Yorkshire Ltd). 2003).
In the consultation response, Peter Thornborrow (Senior Historic Buildings Officer, WYAS) describes the chapel thus:
'Built in the Italianate style it features segmental and arch headed windows that retain their four paned sashes with margin lights, those at first floor having etched glass margins, with a linked impost band and carved ashlar aprons under the window sills. It has a hipped roof facing towards the road, its rear elevation having a large three light window with an arched head. To one side it has a lower roofed entrance with double doors and an overlight. It fronts the narrow road with a raised narrow forecourt the wall with decorative iron railings. The west side elevation, visible from the rear car parking area, has three bays of four paned sashed windows with margin glazing and an inscribed stone recording 'Independent Chapel 1778 1829'.
Inside its entrance lobby is a large and tall vertical ledger stone, a memorial slab to John Wimpeny d.1791. An original three panelled door with raised and fielded panels leads into the chapel. This has similarly panelled dado with Gothic fret detail, and retains its original 'U' shaped gallery that is supported on decorative cast iron columns with composite capitals. The front gallery is also panelled with raised and fielded panels. The large ritual 'east' window (on north side) is in filled with attractive stained and painted glass panels'.
Thornborrow had no objection to the change of use to residential but considered the high number a flats involving the removal of the gallery, dado and other fittings had little regard for the historic interest of the building. Thornborrow proposed a more sympathetic conversion by reducing the number of flats and suggested that the chapel was a building of local significance. Its presence in the RCHME volume [above] indicated regional significance (Class II) and suggested that the building should be added to a 'local list' of sites of special architectural or historic interest.
(Thornborrow, P.H. (WYAS). 2003. Consultation response to Kirklees Council planning reference number 2003/62/95120/W3. Lane United Reform Church, Upperthong). |