Registered Buildings

[John Wright]

7 minutes ago, Max Power said:

I believe that the architecture is based on typically Swiss or German style? Particularly inside.

I think it was closed because of a problem with a leaking roof, which can’t be too difficult to rectify.

I thought it would make a great Mosque personally!

The interior is typically English modernist church architecture. The slender beams and columns are reminiscent of those at Coventry cathedral. Minimal, using the new, for sacred architecture, materials and forms.

I think it’s suffered from damp ingress ever since it opened and was difficult and expensive to heat.

 

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, ADELE said:

I thought t was deemed to be unsafe that is why they stopped using it as a church.

According to Wiki (yes it's got its own Wiki):

After leaks began to appear and the walls were found to be "wringing wet" with condensation, an architectural survey was commissioned. In 2016 the result was reported that the expected cost of the necessary repairs and refurbishment to the building would be in the region of at £400,000. The diocese deemed this to be ’unjustifiable’ in the contexts of the parish and the church on the Isle of Man, and so determined that the building should close. After the 50th anniversary of the building's consecration on 23 April 2017 and the final Parish Communion on 30 April, worship in the parish moved entirely to St George’s church, and All Saints finally closed its doors on 1 May 2017.

Though you can't help feeling that with falling congregation numbers, the CofE was glad of an excuse.  It's a nice building, with a lot of nice detailing (which modernist buildings often don't have).  But even without the structural problems, it's difficult to see what reuse there could be.

[Barlow]

57 minutes ago, John Wright said:

 

A note:

The back wall is riven faced black limestone/marble from Pooilvaaish Quarry. The same stone that was used for the original steps at St Paul's Cathedral, which is still apparent in other parts of the cathedral.

 

[John Wright]

16 minutes ago, Barlow said:

A note:

The back wall is riven faced black limestone/marble from Pooilvaaish Quarry. The same stone that was used for the original steps at St Paul's Cathedral, which is still apparent in other parts of the cathedral.

 

The Pooilvaish marble steps is an old wife’s tale. It’s too soft. However the receipt and payment books show Dublin marble was used for the stone steps at St Paul’s. Pooilvaish marble was used for the aisle flags in St Peter’s Liverpool in 1704. I suspect the conflation comes from there.

Eva Wilson covers the story of the supposed gift of Bishop Wilson - it would appear that black marble from Poolvash was used in the in the aisles of the new church of St Peters in Liverpool which was consecrated in 1704; the accounts of St Pauls describe their black marble as Black Irish Marble which very likely came from a quarry near Dublin. The use of the Manx black marble in Liverpool may well have publicised the availability of the material outside of the Island as in 1705 some 1058ft of flags were sent to London for William Holland, a master mason who had previously supplied some Swedish marble to St Pauls. Manx born Thomas Allen and Wm Pinder came to the Island in 1713 with letters of credit to supply their old masters Edward Stanton and Wm Holland with tombstones and flags. Allen stayed on Island having married Hannah Reece - Wilson found other shipments of stone by him back to London before following his wife's death Allen left to return to London in 1724. It would seem that the use in St Peters and the later purchase by one of the firms of Masons who had earlier supplied St Pauls were conflated into the supposed gift by Bishop Wilson - this story according to Eva Wilson first appeared in Townley's Journal of 1789/90.

However there is now some Poolvash marble in St Pauls, as following the restoration of the steps in 1873 which used Guernsey dark granite, some Poolvash marble was bought to renovate the North Portico which originally had used the Irish black marble for which it appears the Manx stone was a good match.

[Barlow]

Yes, there are lots of references to this on that there internet, some debunking the claim re St Paul's. I do believe that over the past 20 there were scientific tests on some of the stone in St Paul's that has been confirmed as being Pooil Vaaish limestone/marble. It was suggested that it was indeed used for steps and some time later when the steps were replaced the stone was reused elsewhere.

But I wouldn't say it is too soft for such steps. There are a number of places on the Island successfully use Pooilvaaish marble for steps. It has a very good quality in that when it becomes wet the stones maintains a grip surface, even when sawn to a smooth face. Carefully selected, it is not too soft for such heavy footfall steps although some of the stone can be susceptible to delamination. 

 

[John Wright]

12 minutes ago, Barlow said:

Yes, there are lots of references to this on that there internet, some debunking the claim re St Paul's. I do believe that over the past 20 there were scientific tests on some of the stone in St Paul's that has been confirmed as being Pooil Vaaish limestone/marble. It was suggested that it was indeed used for steps and some time later when the steps were replaced the stone was reused elsewhere.

But I wouldn't say it is too soft for such steps. There are a number of places on the Island successfully use Pooilvaaish marble for steps. It has a very good quality in that when it becomes wet the stones maintains a grip surface, even when sawn to a smooth face. Carefully selected, it is not too soft for such heavy footfall steps although some of the stone can be susceptible to delamination. 

 

I’d prefer to rely on the research or Eva & David Wilson

[Roxanne]

Me too. 

 

[Max Power]

5 hours ago, John Wright said:

The interior is typically English modernist church architecture. The slender beams and columns are reminiscent of those at Coventry cathedral. Minimal, using the new, for sacred architecture, materials and forms.

I think it’s suffered from damp ingress ever since it opened and was difficult and expensive to heat.

 

You're probably correct, or most likely I should say. It just reminds me of the Germanic style, someone also put that idea in my head a few years ago. It's a lovely building and such a shame that it is going to waste!

[Barlow]

1 hour ago, John Wright said:

I’d prefer to rely on the research or Eva & David Wilson

As opposed to who?

[Barlow]

1 hour ago, Roxanne said:

Me too. 

 

Oh hello

[Kopek]

Surely the steps could be as soft as sandstone for the number of people using them???

It's an old building that the church don't want anymore and at half a mil and 400k restoration, who else is going to want it?

The church would be better to demolish, sell the timber , valuable, and let someone develop the site for a modern use? Housing? offices, or green space???

[Kopek]

perhaps the church should donate it to green space??? payback to their community support of the past???

[newaccount]

Knock it down. Build a block of flats 

[Dirty Buggane]

Would there be a covenant against a coven purchasing it for satanic rites, not much space needed to park your broom. Or a nightclub, of course there would be no liquor or wine licence sold with the building and would have to be applied for separately. Great venue for a tart's and vicar's night. 🧙🧙‍♂️

[CallMeCurious]

15 hours ago, Blade Runner said:

The church is similar to the Sea Terminal in age, and IMHO good, but the Sea Terminal building needs proper preservation and stripping away of the PVC windows under the "crown"

 

Imagine if they used the front road way and car park area as Bus Terminal (and tourist coaches), and move the taxi rank, pick up/drop off to the side where coaches currently park.

Then you can catch any bus headed along Prom for hotels, trams, shops etc. Already has a newsagent shop, cafe, tourist information, toilets, cash point etc.

Still has small units at the front (car rental?) that could easily sell tickets or I believe they already do that in the Welcome Centre? Existing monitors could be used throughout for bus timetables to display the next 5 or 6 bus departures live update countdown (like they do London Underground.. Next bus to Peel 10 min)

No need to wait 5-10 years and spend millions on a new bus terminal, just make better use of what you already have.

Shame they can't reopen the Crows Nest to the public somehow to take advantage of the views.