The Scottish
Architects website [visit link] carries a biography about
Lanchester who was an architect of this building:
"Henry Vaughan Lanchester was born
in London on 9 August 1863 the son of Henry Jones Lanchester and was articled to
his father in 1879. Thereafter he sought wider experience in the offices of
Frederick James Eedle, Thomas William Cutler and George Campbell Sherrin, taking
classes at the Royal Academy Schools and the Architectural Association, gaining
the Aldwinckle Travelling Studentship and passing the qualifying examination in
1888, and winning the Owen Jones Studentship in 1889-90. He was admitted ARIBA
on 18 November 1889, his proposers being Cutler, Stephen Salter and Aston Webb.
In 1896 Lanchester formed a partnership with James S Stewart and Edwin Alfred
Rickards. Stewart, born in 1866, had also been in Sherrin's office and had
studied at the Royal Academy Schools and had an equally distinguished record
winning the Academy's Gold and Silver Medals. Edwin Alfred Rickards, born in
1872, was first articled to Richard John Lovell, but like Lanchester, he moved
to Frederick Jones Eedles and after a spell with Dunn & Watson, also to
Sherrin's where he renewed contact with Lanchester and met Stewart; from there
he went to Leonard Stokes's office until invited by Lanchester to join them in
partnership. The firm came into immediate prominence by winning the third
premium in the Edinburgh North British competition and then in the following
year by winning the Cardiff City Hall and Law Courts competition.
Stewart never sought admission to the RIBA and died tragically early on
3 August 1904, the firm then becoming Lanchester & Rickards. In 1912
Lanchester went to India to report on a site for New Delhi and the replanning of
Madras and other Indian cities and acquired a large practice there. Rickards,
who had suffered from indifferent health since a near collapse from overwork in
1913 looked after the London office. He volunteered for military service in 1916
but was invalided out after three months. He became seriously ill in 1919 and
died in Bournemouth on 29 August 1920. Because of Rickards' illness Lanchester
took Thomas Geoffrey Lucas into partnership in 1919 and in 1923 Lucas's former
partner Thomas Arthur Lodge.
Lanchester died on 16 January 1953 in
London. Lodge continued the practice under the existing name of Lanchester &
Lodge."
The Central
Methodist Hall is a Grade II listed building and the entry at the English
Heritage website [
visit link
]
tells us about the building:
" Methodist Central Hall, Westminster 24.2.58 GV II*
Main London Methodist hall. 1905-11 by Lanchester and Rickards. Portland stone
facing,early reinforced concrete frame (on the Kahn system) and steel trussed
Lead clad square dome. Symmetrically composed, free standing,monumental block in
Rickards' sophisticated Continental Baroque, with square masses, disciplined by
a giant Corinthian order, building up to massive square French dome. French
banded rustication to wall planes. Great main storey and tall attic, raised on
basement/ground floor. Corinthian columned corner pavilions,with attics, and
projecting centrepiece to entrance front with engaged colonnade carried out in
central bow with main central enriched architrave portal and side entrances to
vestibule in sides of bow. Tall windows with oeil de boeuf or relief panels a la
Gabriel above. The tall attics to set-back hall have tall tetrastyle porticoes
in antis and shallow segmental pediments above parapets. Vast,enriched rib
leaded dome, with oeil de boeuf finished off with balustrade and elaborate,
aediculed cupola overall. Richly modelled sculptural mouldings, cornices, urns
and trophies. Very skilled internal layout by Lanchester, with the raised hall
surrounded by offices and rooms on 4 sides and spectacular, sweeping, Baroque
grand staircase design, with French scrollworked bronze balustrade, given
dramatic effect by the wide depressed archway through which it rises from the
vestibule in 2 flights to meet and then divide again in lofty compartment to
return to hall level; vast coffered saucer dome over grand hall,
etc."
The Methodist
Central Hall website [ visit link
]
gives a history overview of the Hall:
"The hall was opened in 1912
Methodist Central Hall Westminster was opened in 1912 as
a monument to mark the centenary of John Wesley's death (the founder of
Methodism).
Formerly a Royal Aquarium/music hall
The site was formerly occupied by the Royal Aquarium
(primarily a music hall), which was purchased by money raised through a huge
Methodist fund raising venture.
The Million Guinea Fund
The 'Wesleyan Methodist Twentieth Century Fund' (or the
'Million Guinea Fund' as it came to be known) opened in 1898 with the aim of
raising a million guineas from a million Methodists to help facilitate a great
push forward of Methodism. This fund closed in 1904 with just over a million
guineas, a quarter of which was allocated to the design and construction of this
centenary building. The remaining funds were invested in new Chapels, foreign
and home missions, education, soldier's and sailor's homes, temperance work and
children's homes.
Non-church design
The design for this 'monumental building of Methodism'
was chosen from 132 entries in an anonymous architectural competition. The rules
of the competition stated that the design had to be non-Gothic and the general
philosophy of the Methodist movement was that buildings were not to resemble
churches. The intention was to create non intimidating but welcoming buildings
so that people who had no connections with the Christian church would feel
comfortable and able to enter them.
The winning design, submitted by Messrs Lancaster and
Rickards of London, is in keeping with these ideas and if you look at the
exterior of the building you will notice that no cross is visible, nor is there
any overtly religious symbolism. The building itself is Viennese Baroque in
style with Romanesque decoration. The poet Sir John Betjemen once praised the
structure saying "The dome of Central Hall is a splendid foil to the towers of
Westminster and the pinnacles of the Houses of Parliament".
Many
distinguished visitors
Many distinguished visitors have graced Methodist
Central Hall, including Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Billy Graham, the
Queen, Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
United Nations
One of the most significant events to have been hosted
here was the 1946 inaugural meeting of the General Assembly of the United
Nations. Prime Minister Clement Attlee welcomed delegates from all over the
globe to Central Hall where 51 member countries took part. The United Nations
Organisation returned to Methodist Central Hall in 1996 as part of their 50th
Anniversary celebrations.
World War 2
Despite its prominent Westminster location, Methodist
Central Hall was barely damaged during the events of Word War II. The basement
area (now the cafe area) became the largest air raid shelter in England, housing
hundreds of people every night for the duration of the war."
The Central
Hall Westminster website [ visit link
]
also tells us:
"In 1898 the Wesleyan Methodist Church set up the 20th
Century Fund to mark the centenary of John Wesley's death (1703-1791). The aim
of the fund was to raise '1 million guineas from 1 million Methodists'.
Regardless of wealth, each donor was only allowed to donate one guinea. This was
to finance a 'great push forward of Wesleyan Methodism'. The fund closed in 1904
having raised 1,024,501 guineas (£1,075,727).
£250,000 of this money was allocated to the building of
a 'monumental Memorial Hall' that would not only house a worshipping
congregation and the headquarters of the then Wesleyan Methodist Church but
would also be a meeting place for all people, regardless of religious
persuasion. It was also to be of 'great service for conferences on religious,
educational, scientific, philanthropic and social questions'. This building
opened in 1912 and is now known as Central Hall Westminster.
The 50 volume leather-bound Historic Roll, containing
the names of all those who donated to the 20th Century Fund, is located adjacent
to the Visitor Services Desk and visitors are invited to come to see the names
of their ancestors who contributed to the building of this great
monument.
Historic Events at Central Hall Westminster
Central Hall Westminster has played host to a number of
events of national and international importance over the years.
The Suffragettes, campaigning for the vote for women,
met at Central Hall Westminster in 1914, Mahatma Gandhi spoke in the Lecture
Hall in 1932, and General de Gaulle founded the free French in the early
1940's.
Perhaps most famously, Central Hall was the chosen venue
for the very first General Assembly of the newly formed United Nations, in 1946
- a time that saw the appointment of the first Secretary General, along with the
creation of the Security Council and the International Court of Justice. 51
member countries sent delegations and Prime Minister Clement Attlee welcomed the
UN to ‘this ancient home of liberty and order’.
Other famous speakers here have been Winston Churchill
who addressed the Conservative Party Conference in the Great Hall in 1945, Dr
Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the Prince of Wales. We often welcome leading
politicians and governmental bodies through our doors, and we sponsor the annual
Parliamentary Covenant Service where members across the political parties come
together in worship.
Central hall Westminster was also used for feature
films, such "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" starring Michael Caine, as well as for
promotional material, such as Marks and Spencer's marketing campaign for their
Life Assurance Policy.
From 1932-2000 Methodist Central Hall Westminster also
served as the main headquarters of the Methodist Church, housing such
departments as: the Methodist Relief and Development Fund, Interfaith Relations,
Racial Justice, International and Environmental Affairs, Home Missions and
Prison Chaplaincy.
Many revered preachers have ministered at Methodist
Central Hall. The most famous of whom is Dr. William Edwin Sangster. Sangster
served here between 1939 and 1955, and during World War II he managed a 4-year
air raid shelter in our basement.
More recently, Central Hall has hosted the Public
Enquiries for the Ladbroke Grove and the Marchioness disasters and over the
years has welcomed British Prime Ministers, members of the Royal Family and
other famous faces."