The Central Methodist Church is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

in the city centre of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in England. The church lies on St Saviourgate. It was constructed in 1840, as the Centenary Chapel, marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Methodist societies. The building was designed by James Simpson in a classical style, with an Ionic portico. It consists of a basement and two stories above. To its rear, he built vestries, classrooms, band rooms, and a house for a caretaker. In 1861, the buildings to the rear were extended, to provide more classroom space. They burned down in 1863, and though they were rebuilt, they again burned down, and were again replaced in 1872. The chapel was extended in 1881 and 1885, the schoolrooms were extended in 1895, and two new vestries were added in 1909. In 1887, the chapel became the head of a circuit. In 1908 and 1926, it hosted meetings of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference. In 1982, its congregation merged with that of the

Wesley Chapel, Priory Street The Wesley Chapel on Priory Street, in the Bishophill area of York, in England, is a grade II* listed building. The church was built in 1856, on the newly-developed Priory Street, the area formerly having been part of the grounds of the Holy ...

, and it was then renamed as the "Central Methodist Church". The chapel can seat 1,500 worshippers in a horseshoe formation, some on oval gallery above. On the ground floor, there are original numbered box pews. The three-manual organ with 2,500 pipes was installed by John Brown in 1841 and rebuilt in 1931. Notable monuments include a sarcophagus dedicated to Joseph Agar, and a tabernacle dedicated to the Reverend David Hill, a local missionary to China. The church hosts regular services, although as of 2016 its congregation averaged only 45. It also holds Carecent breakfasts for homeless and disadvantaged people. The building provides space for some charities and voluntary groups in first floor offices. In 2016, its minister announced plans to add a new reception space, improve access for disabled people, and start offering the space as a

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

during the week. In October 2021, the church was one of 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million injection into the government's

Culture Recovery Fund The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...

."Heritage and Craft Workers Across England Given a Helping Hand"
–

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

, 22 October 2021

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External links

* {{coord, 53.95954, -1.07880, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II* listed churches in York Methodist churches in North Yorkshire Religious buildings and structures completed in 1840 1840 establishments in England St Saviourgate