Church of St. George, church hall

DESCRIPTION / STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
This rusticated stone building, the near neighbour of its Listed namesake, is a well-balanced composition, striking its own chord whilst deferring in grandeur and style. The rustication is harmonious and the lozenge aperture detail is directly borrowed, as well as the strong vertical elements – buttresses to the church are transmuted into tall chimneys with projecting stacks. However, the building is much more of a domestic piece in appearance, conveying more of a villa style than an ecclesiastical or institutional edifice. The low-pitched, hipped, slated roof is finished with erect ridge tiles and bracketed eaves, with the stone chimneys springing from each side. On the principal elevation shallow stone bays flank the original entrance to the ground floor, with unusual mock arrow-slit detailing to the parapets. This entrance features attractive stained glass elaborating the form, adding an engaging touch of colour, which recurs elsewhere on the building. Above this, a central gable pushes through the eaves, housing the lozenge detail, with a double arched moulding crowning the upper window and an uninscribed plaque. The form and footprint bears comparison with the later Marley Hill Miners Welfare Hall, although the detail is very different. It is virtually complete, with cast iron rainwater goods and almost all of the original timber windows, although it is unfortunate to note that the building has been the target of vandalism, and the condition is rather poor in places. The setting offers an opportunity for enhancement, as currently the landscaping requires some management, and although the railings to the front have been lost, their stone plinth remains, with its unusual footprint. The rear portions of the building are less architecturally polite, partly constructed in buff brick rather than stone, but featuring buttressing echoing that of the church. Overall the building is a worthy contribution to the setting of the church, the cenotaph opposite, and the Shipley Gallery nearby, on an important junction on this north-south route. MATERIALS Rusticated stone, timber, stained glass, slate ARCHITECT R Wylie
(36 West St, Gateshead) DATES 1908 LOCAL LIST