Gosforth West Avenue United Methodist Free Church chapel

Gosforth UMFC chapel was built of stone in the Early English Gothic style in 1877 (was this, like the schools the work of Edward Shewbrooks?). New Sunday schools were added in 1883.

A report of the opening described the building.
“The schoolroom is 47ft. long, 28ft. wide and 20ft. high. Two classrooms, each 16fr. long and 13ft. 6in. wide open out of the schoolroom. The whole of the buildings are finished with Kenon stone, and the roofs covered with blue Welsh slates and ornamental tile ridges. The work has been carried out by Mr Matthew Robson of Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. Messrs Walker and Emley, of Newcastle supplied the hot-water fittings.”
Building News 4.1.1884 p.686

In 1940 the premises were reported to consist of a chapel seating 740 in pews, a school hall and seven other rooms. By 1970 the chapel seating had been reduced to 490, probably through closure of the gallery, and the hall seated 211. The building continues to be used as a Methodist place of worship and its website has excellent photographs of both the exterior and interior of the chapel and of the interiors of the associated buildings. The interior views show the gallery, which still has its pews and is probably little changed since it was built, and roof supported on slender columns. The ground floor has been thoroughly modernised with a platform where there was probably once a rostrum and seating on chairs rather than pews. The pictures also depict the interiors of the associated buildings which have also been thoroughly modernised
OS 25 inch Northumberland XCIV.4 1913
John Rylands Library University of Manchester, MAC Lawson, Methodist Church Buildings: Statistical returns including seating accommodation as at July 1st 1940 No 862 Newcastle upon Tyne Central and Sandyford Circuit
The Methodist Church Department of Chapel Affairs, Statistical Returns, Part 1, 1972 Returns made 06.01.1970 490 Newcastle upon Tyne Central Circuit
Trinity Centre | Trinity Gosforth