Priory Grove Methodist Church, South Church: Historic Building Recording

The level of recording identified during consultation with the Durham County Council Archaeology Section was an Historic England equivalent Level 2 building recording scheme, which equates to a photographic and written record. The Wesleyan Chapel was built in 1899, and appears to have originally comprised a simple chapel with a vestry to the north. In 1912 work began on the brick school room/hall to the east, with the addition of the boiler room attached to the north. Interestingly, the Ordnance Survey of 1915 shows the southern wall of the building flush with the housing boundary to the south, but also flush with the western road edge. If this map layout is correct, it would suggest that the western frontage, and southern wall have been rebuilt, but there was no physical evidence for this: it is more likely though that the mapping is simply in error. By the time the 1939 mapping was surveyed, the chapel is shown much as it is now, barring a gap between the vestry and the boiler room to the north, and a smaller extension to the south than the one currently in existence. In the late 20th century, the kitchen was constructed between the vestry and boiler room, and the small extension to the south was demolished and replaced entirely to create a larger extension with segregated toilets and a side entrance.