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DUE TO THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE CHURCH BUILDING IS CLOSED FOR WORSHIP AT PRESENT. OPENING TIMINGS WILL BE UPDATED SOON.
Wesley is near the town centre on Queen’s Road, one of the main thoroughfares into and out of town. The church was built in 1873, a large building in Victorian gothic style, predominantly of brick and cast iron, but stone is used for some details and the spire, a prominent feature. It is a listed building and a landmark in the town.
In 1997/8 it was refurbished and given a major extension. The exterior was cleaned, enhancing the decorative masonry, a new cross placed on the spire and the interior was repainted. A new welcome area with coffee bar was built, sensitively complementing the church’s architecture, and the existing ancillary rooms were added to and improved.
The acoustic of the sanctuary is excellent, especially for choirs, and it has a Forster & Andrews organ built in 1874 and refurbished in 1999. The church is often used for concerts, and most rooms are available for hire. For first-time visitors there is always a 'wow' factor when they see the interior of the church.
The building next to the church is the old manse, the house built for the minister and his family in 1899. Ministers lived there until 1969. The house was let as office accommodation for more than thirty years. Now there are church and circuit offices on the first floor, while the ground floor is to be refurbished for the church to use in its outreach ministry.
Church and Room Hire
Church and Room Hire
For further information about room hire and letting options at our church, click on the link below.
The organ was supplied in 1874 by the Hull firm of Forster & Andrews and remained unaltered until 1929 when a pedal Bourdon and an electric blower were added.
In 1974 George Osmond & Co. of Taunton took charge of a rebuild, during which the action was converted from tracker to electric and various changes were made to the design of the console (then situated below the organ chamber).
By the early 1990s, the action was starting to fail and it became clear that there was a need for substantial work. At the same time, it was also decided to install a detached console to make the organist less isolated from the congregation.
T. W. Fearn & Son of London were engaged to do the work. The original Forster & Andrews ranks were not tonally altered in any way, but new additions were prepared, including the Trumpet stop at 8’ and 4’ pitch, a Celeste and Twelfth. The 16’ Bourdon was also extended to 8’ and 4’ pitch.
The work, which was completed in May 1999, also exposed a tuning door at the rear of the swell box, which implies that the instrument may not have been designed specifically for Wesley Church. Nevertheless, in its refurbished state, the organ is an asset to the church.
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