Methodist Church, (The Pepperpot), Church Road, Tranmere

TRANMERE (BIRKENHEAD) — A new Wesleyan Chapel has been opened at Tranmere. The edifice stands on an elevated spot in Church-road, Higher Tranmere. The style is Gothic modernized, and adapted to the general shape of the building, which is octagonal. The chapel is built of brick, faced with Stourton stone. In front of the chief entrances there is an open porch, supported by seven arches. At each end of these is a spiral staircase, leading to the galleries. The roof, which is octagonal and self-supporting, is surmounted by a lantern and spire. There are sixteen windows, of cathedral tinted glass, with a crimson marginal border. The corners are finished with gargoyles of various devices. The basement contains a school-room 60 feet by 37, capable of accommodating about six hundred pupils; and also two large vestries. There are also three vestries above. A platform is substituted for a pulpit. The roof is an open foliated one. The height from the floor to the apex is about 60 feet. Eight chandeliers, in blue and gold, are suspended over the inner circumference of the galleries. The chapel is capable of accommodating about 1,000 persons. The cost of the structure, including the land, is about £4,000. The architect was Mr. Walter Scott; and the builder, Mr. John Hogarth, of Rock Ferry. [Builder 6 September 1862 page 642]

The Wesleyan Chapel, Church Road, Higher Tranmere built of brick and Stourton stone in ‘Modernised Perpendicular Gothic’ in an octagonal form to house 1000 worshippers was opened in August 1862. The church had an open porch of 7 arches with spiral staircases leading to the galleries. There was a schoolroom in the basement and eight chandeliers. The building cost £4000. [The Stranger’s Guide through Birkenhead and its Environs etc. Robert Hinton 1864, page 26].

Reference    Builder 6 September 1862 page 642
Reference    Robert Hinton: The Stranger’s Guide through Birkenhead and its Environs etc. 1864, page 26
Reference    Hartwell/Hyde/Pevsner/Hubbard. Buildings of England: Cheshire 2011 page 161