Methodist Central Hall, Birmingham
Encyclopedia
The Methodist Central Hall, 196-224 Corporation Street
, Birmingham
, England
, is a three storey red brick and terracotta
Grade II* listed building with a distinctive tower at the northern end of Corporation Street, opposite the Victoria Law Courts
. It is located within the Steelhouse Conservation Area
.
The terracotta was manufactured by the renowned firm of Gibbs and Canning Limited
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.
Its main hall seats 2,000 and it has over thirty 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. It was built 1903-4 by architects Ewan Harper & James A. Harper.
Security at the hall, especially the tower, has been increased after an intoxicated man went to the top of the tower and jumped off subsequently being killed on impact.
In 1991, the Methodist Church was converted into a nightclub, however, since its closure in 2002, the building has remained empty and fallen into disrepair.
The building has been the subject of proposals to be converted into an office building. The first of such was submitted in 2001, only to be withdrawn. Planning applications to convert the building into apartment
s have also been rejected by Birmingham City Council
on the basis that original internal features will be destroyed. However, the council has since given planning consent to a proposal to convert the building into apartments. It is to be referred to the Local Government Office.
The hall was re-opened on 14 September 2007 as the 'Que club'.http://www.queclub.co.uk/
The opening night was hosted by 'Drop Beats Not Bombs.' http://www.dropbeatsnotbombs.co.uk/
Since re-opening the club has seen extensive repairs in an attempt to return it to its formerly glory, and regularly hosts events such as Atomic Jam http://www.atomic-jam.com/ and Fantasia.
Corporation Street, Birmingham
Corporation Street is a main shopping street in Birmingham city centre, England.It runs from the law courts at its northern end to the centre of New Street at its southern.- Planning :...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is a three storey red brick and terracotta
Architectural terracotta
Terracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
Grade II* listed building with a distinctive tower at the northern end of Corporation Street, opposite the Victoria Law Courts
Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
The Victoria Law Courts on Corporation Street, Birmingham 4, England is a Grade I listed, red brick and terracotta building that now houses Birmingham Magistrates' Court.-History:...
. It is located within the Steelhouse Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
The terracotta was manufactured by the renowned firm of Gibbs and Canning Limited
Gibbs and Canning Limited
Gibbs and Canning Limited was an English manufacturer of terracotta and, in particular, architectural terracotta, based in Glascote, Tamworth and founded in 1847....
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.
Its main hall seats 2,000 and it has over thirty 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. It was built 1903-4 by architects Ewan Harper & James A. Harper.
Security at the hall, especially the tower, has been increased after an intoxicated man went to the top of the tower and jumped off subsequently being killed on impact.
In 1991, the Methodist Church was converted into a nightclub, however, since its closure in 2002, the building has remained empty and fallen into disrepair.
The building has been the subject of proposals to be converted into an office building. The first of such was submitted in 2001, only to be withdrawn. Planning applications to convert the building into apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s have also been rejected by Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the 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 authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
on the basis that original internal features will be destroyed. However, the council has since given planning consent to a proposal to convert the building into apartments. It is to be referred to the Local Government Office.
The hall was re-opened on 14 September 2007 as the 'Que club'.http://www.queclub.co.uk/
The opening night was hosted by 'Drop Beats Not Bombs.' http://www.dropbeatsnotbombs.co.uk/
Since re-opening the club has seen extensive repairs in an attempt to return it to its formerly glory, and regularly hosts events such as Atomic Jam http://www.atomic-jam.com/ and Fantasia.