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Upper Brook Street
Chapel
For many years the Upper Brook Street
Chapel has looked as you see it below, derelict
and abandoned.
 The chapel was built in the
English NeoGothic Style between 1837 and 1839 for
the Unitarians.
 The architect was Sir Charles Barry who went on to design the Palace of Westminster. In 1928 changes in the nature of the district led to the sale of the chapel and its new occupants were members of a Welsh Baptist congregation. Later it was used as a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall. The building fell into disrepair after it was abandoned.  In 2006 the
building was so unsafe that part of the chapel
was demolished. The annex was also
declared unsafe. Since then the annex had
been reopened and was being used as an Islamic
Academy.
   ****************************** When I visited the site
in March of 2017 it was swathed in
scaffolding and a new roof had been added to
the building.
     The "buttress.net"
website explains what is going on. "Planning
Approval and Listed Building Consent
have been granted for a new residential
development at the Welsh Baptist Chapel
and adjoining Sunday School on Upper
Brook Street, Manchester. .... The
scheme will provide high quality,
private residential apartments within
the Chapel and Sunday School buildings
and incorporate a contemporary new build
element providing facilities including a
fitness room, cinema room and residents’
lounge. Integral to the
development will be extensive
restoration work to repair and revive
the existing fabric such as retention
and repair of the distinctive rose
window, corbels and vaulted springers
along with the reconstruction of the
Chapel roof."
*************************
When I returned in
December of 2017 the derelict church had
been transformed into "The Chapel - 43
Upper Brook Street."
 The
"hellostudent" website describes the
refurbished building as, "....an
historic Grade II listed
building, expertly converted to
provide simply the best student
accommodation in Manchester.
Experience high-end living
whilst being right across the
street from the University of
Manchester.
There’s everything to suit your
needs and enhance your
lifestyle. A fully equipped gym,
a private cinema room, private
study areas, and a lounge to
relax with friends, pretty much
everything you need."
The planning consent application described the renovation as including, "... Repairs and alterations to the former Welsh Baptist Chapel and attached Islamic Academy building, in association with: conversion to self contained residential units together with erection of detached single storey building to form additional residential units (93 units in total)" I assume that this new block, beside the nave of the old chapel, is the "detached single storey building".  More views of the building.      |
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