Doncaster; Balby Road Primitive Methodist chapel
Balby Road DONCASTER DN4 0RG
Balby Road Primitive Methodist chapel was opened in 1868. At the time of Keith Guyler’s photograph in 1998 it was still active but was closed in October 2008. On Google Street View in April 2019 it is disused and for sale, looking in need of love and attention. It does however have a large white cross on the front and still carries its 1868 datestone high in the apex.
There are pictures of the inside of the chapel, a choral performance and a Band of Hope banner on the Doncaster underbelly website. At the time of closure it had a Compton Sonatina electronic organ.
The Nooks and Corners section of Private Eye in 2021 reports that although local planners had given consent for its demolition and replacement by a block of flats, it has since been listed as Grade 2 by Historic England and the developer has told the council that he is drawing up plans for conversion into flats.
The Historic England listing gives four architectural interest reasons for its listing, including:
- the architecturally elaborate front elevation features an eclectic mixture of Gothic and classical details, topped by a bold, strongly Italian Romanesque corbel table, and using a plethora of materials and colours in an exuberant display unusual for Primitive Methodist chapels, which were generally plain;
- the richly detailed façade includes high-quality craftsmanship in the foliate carving of the stone features;
The site includes other historical detail.
Reference
Underbelly website accessed February 21st 2015
Private Eye No.1539 22nd January 2021 page 23
Historic England Listed Building Register accessed on-line 23-01-2021 at https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1470713
Comments about this page
I have the Balby Road Compton Sonatina at my house.
Unfortunately it broke down and could not be repaired.
If anyone would like it to add to a collection they can have it for nothing. They need to provide transport and any lifting gear as I am able to help with any heavy work. The bench is not included in the offer as I use it with my new organ.
I have very fond memories of this chapel; I used to worship here in the 1990s – I was the only person my age (I was a teenager at the time), the other members of the very small congregation were elderly. It had retained quite a few traditions from another era; the 1933 Methodist Hymn Book; a Christian Endeavour meeting (Wednesday nights), which I attended; a women’s Bright Hour, still being called that (which, as a chap, I obviously didn’t attend!); and of course, it used Iris crockery! I understand that the circuit sold the building after the chapel closed, and it is now on the market again, having stood empty for many years. I pass it every time I go into town from my parents’ house, when I am visiting them in Doncaster. On another note, the sitcom Open All Hours was filmed in the streets behind the chapel, but it never featured in the series!
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