The Methodist Central Hall, 196–224 Corporation Street,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, is a three-storey

red brick and terracotta Architectural terracotta refers to a fired mixture of clay and water that can be used in a non-structural, semi-structural, or structural capacity on the exterior or interior of a building. Terracotta pottery, as earthenware is called when not us ...

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 Irel ...

with a distinctive tower at the northern end of Corporation Street. The design complements the

Victoria Law Courts The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham, England is a Grade I listed red brick and terracotta building that now houses Birmingham Magistrates' Court. History Designed by Aston Webb & Ingress Bell of London after an open com ...

opposite, also in terracotta, and includes eclectic details such as the corner turrets resembling Indian

chattris ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

. It is located within the Steelhouse

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Methodist Central Hall Birmingham, porch frieze S

The terracotta was manufactured by the renowned firm of

Gibbs and Canning Limited Gibbs and Canning Limited was an English manufacturer of terracotta and, in particular, architectural terracotta, located in Glascote, Tamworth, and founded in 1847. The company manufactured a wide range of terracotta and faience: statues of l ...

of Tamworth, which also produced decorative works for 179-203 Corporation Street and the interior of the Victoria Law Courts in Birmingham and the Natural History Museum in London. It was built 1903–04 by architects Ewan Harper & James A. Harper. The main hall seated 2,000 and it had more than 30 other rooms, including three school halls. It cost £96,165. The street level has twelve bays of shops (four with their original fronts). The building also runs along Ryder Street and has more original shop fronts. In 1991, the Methodist Church was converted into the Que Club, a nightclub and music venue; however, since its closure in 2002, the building fell empty and was poorly maintained. Currently it is only partially in use and its deteriorating condition has led to it being listed on

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 wit ...

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for actio ...

. The building has been the subject of various proposals for conversion to apartments and offices. In 2018

Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom (e ...

approved plans to restore and renovate the building including a 147-bed hotel. In July 2022, it was announced that Press Up Entertainment, would begin converting the building into a 150 bedroom hotel and event space following a grant of planning permission.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* {{BirminghamBuildings Romanesque Revival church buildings in England Terracotta Former Methodist churches in the United Kingdom Methodist churches in the West Midlands (county) Churches in Birmingham, West Midlands Grade II* listed buildings in Birmingham Grade II* listed churches in the West Midlands (county)