Listed Building record MDO15644 - Unitarian Church, West Hill Road, Bournemouth

A Unitarian Church built around 1890 in a rich mannerist free gothic style and now no longer used for worship. It is constructed from red brick with cream limestone dressings and a concrete tile roof with an almost free-standing hexagonal tower.

A Unitarian Church built circa 1890 and now used for medieval banquets, conference facilities, and a leisure club. It is constructed from red brick with cream limestone dressings and a concrete tile roof. It comprises a two storey main body with central gables flush with the wall, this all away from street, and to the street a semi-hexagonal body, plus, to the right and almost free-standing, a hexagonal tower, all in a free Gothic interpretation with 14th and 15th century details. The church has two 3-light perpendicular style windows under brick arches, that to left under a rich pierced parapet, with the central window under a coped gable, each with paired brick capped turrets; the main windows are over cross-mullion openings at the basement, behind which are wood sashes. A very slender tower stands on a base with pair of plank doors in a 4-centre brick arch under slight ogee stone drip and a rich pierced parapet. Above this is a heavy stone weathered course at the base of very lofty lancets with flamboyant tracery, separated by brick buttresses capped with stone saddle copings, under a stage with trefoil openings in circular lights with stone voussoirs at diagonal points; parapet with semi- circular sinkings at centre points, all crowned with pinnacles and stone spouts. The side elevations are relatively austere, with three 2-light stone mullioned, transomed and traceried windows, the central one under a gable; at lower level paired sashes. The church is a very rich mannerist interpretation of mediaeval items coupled with imaginative freestyle touches. <1>

<1> DOE (HRR), 14 Sept 1984, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Borough of Bournemouth amendment 1984, 768 (Scheduling record). SWX3528.

<2> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF105666 (Index). SDO14738.

UNITARIAN CHURCH, WEST HILL ROAD, BOURNEMOUTH

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1322760 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 30 2024 10:24AM