Methodist Central Hall, Westminster
Methodist Central Hall | |
---|---|
Groundbreaking | 1905 |
Completed | 1911 |
Construction cost | £496,152[1] |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 2,300 (Great Hall)[2] |
Administration | |
District | London |
Circuit | Westminster |
Clergy | |
Minister(s) | Presbyters:
|
The Methodist Central Hall (also known as Central Hall Westminster) is a multi-purpose venue in the
Methodist Central Hall occupies the corner of Tothill Street and Storeys Gate just off
History
Methodist Central Hall was erected by
The building played host to several important events. Meetings of the suffragette movement took place at Methodist Central Hall in 1914. Scenes were re-enacted in the 2015 film Suffragette, some of which was shot in the hall.[7]
Methodist Central Hall hosted the first meeting of the
It has been regularly used for political rallies—famous speakers have included
In 1968, Central Hall hosted the first public performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat[6] in a concert that also included his father (organist William Lloyd Webber who was musical director at Central Hall), his brother the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and pianist John Lill.[13]
In early 1966 the FIFA World Cup Jules Rimet Trophy was on display at Central Hall in preparation for the football tournament being held in England that summer.[14] It was stolen from the hall on 20 March 1966 and was recovered seven days later in south London, but the thief was never caught. England won the trophy four months later. The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen again in Brazil and never recovered, and so had to be replaced.[15]
In 2017, Central Hall was host to the first FIFA Interactive World Cup final where Spencer Ealing (known as Gorilla) beat Kai Wollin (known as DETO).[16]
In 2005 Central Hall controversially applied for a licence to sell alcohol in its café and conference venues. As the Methodist Church has traditionally promoted abstinence and usually forbids consumption of alcohol on church premises, many Methodists argued that the application was in defiance of church rules and a written objection was compiled.[17]
It is frequently used for public enquiries, including those into the Ladbroke Grove rail crash, the sinking of the Marchioness pleasure boat, and the Bloody Sunday incident in Northern Ireland.[6]
Architecture
The Methodist Central Hall is a Grade II* listed building.
The original 1904 design included two small towers on the main (east) façade, facing Westminster Abbey. These were never built, supposedly because of an outcry that they would reduce the dominance of Nicholas Hawksmoor's west towers at Westminster Abbey in views from St James's Park. The hall was eventually finished in 1911.
The domed ceiling of the Great Hall is reputed to be the second largest of its type in the world.[21] The vast scale of the self-supporting ferro-concrete structure reflects the original intention that Central Hall was intended to be a meeting place for "open-air preaching with the roof on".[22]
The angels in the exterior spandrels were designed by Henry Poole.[23]
-
Central Hall at night time
-
A view of London from the roof of Central Hall, looking to the east
Organ
The
|
|
|
|
|
- Couplers: III-I, IV-I, I-II, III-II, IV-II, IV-III, Sub and Super III, Sub and Super III, Unison off III, Unison off IV, I-P, II-P, III-P, IV-P.
- 8 General Combinations, 8 Divisional Combinations for each Manual and the Pedal (on 256 Memory Levels); Continental Stepper (General Piston Sequencer + and -).
References
- ^ a b "Our Timeline". Methodist Central Hall.
- ^ ISBN 1860641393. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ "Team". Methodist Central Hall.
- ^ "Organiser". Central Hall Westminster. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ ISBN 085244141X. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Background to the building". Central Hall Westminster. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ "#Votes100 – Suffragette Movement and Methodist Central Hall – Methodist Central Hall, Westminster". Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Our Timeline". Methodist Central Hall.
- ^ "United Nations Day 2016 – #UN71 – Methodist Central Hall, Westminster". Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Monday News, Oct.1972 (Monday Club publication).
- ^ Sunday Times, 14 January 1973
- ^ Monday Club News, January 1992.
- ^ "Methodist Central Hall Westminster, Songs of Praise". BBC One. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Our Timeline". Methodist Central Hall.
- ^ "1966: Football's World Cup stolen". BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ "Central Hall Westminster provides backdrop for thrilling FIFA Interactive World Cup Final". CHW. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ Eunice K. Y. Or (23 May 2005). "Methodist HQ Alcohol License Application Sparks Abstinence Debate". Christianity Today. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ Group Travel – Methodist Church Conference Cente Central Hall Westminster London UK
- ^ Historic England. "Methodist Central Hall, Westminster (1264457)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ISBN 978-1405384773. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ^ "Historic Weddings Venue Central Hall Westminster London UK". Central Hall Westminster London UK. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ Connelly, Angela (2010). Methodist Central Halls as Public Sacred Space (PDF) (Thesis). University of Manchester. p. 107. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "Henry Poole RA – Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951". sculpture.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ Great Organ at Westminster Central Hall . www.harrisonorgans.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
External links
- Methodist Central Hall – Church website
- Central Hall Westminster – Conference centre website
- The Sanctuary Westminster