Quick Guide to Church Architecture

Traditional church exterior

Many people will not immediately recognise a Nonconformist chapel. This is mainly due to the fact that Nonconformist chapels often don’t look like ‘traditional’ churches.

The traditional church is usually a rectangular building with in tower on the west side, and the entrance in one of the longer sidewalls.

The interior of the traditional church is divided into specific spaces. The nave is in the middle, with pews and a path running through them. This path is important, because at the beginning and end of the service the clergy and choir will process along it. Separated from the nave, often by columns, are the side isles on either side. Most of the time the isles will be filled with pews as well.

Traditional chruch interior

At the east end of the church is the area called the chancel. It might be separated from the nave by a railing or some steps. In this area the clergy and choir sit. In this area will also be the altar table, usually separated from the chancel by a so-called communion rail. This is a low wooden railing with benches on the chancel side for the congregation to kneel on when they receive Holy Communion.

The east wall of the church might have a large stained-glass window, depicting saints or scenes from the bible.

Most of the traditional churches were built by the State Church where funding was not a problem. Nonconformist chapels, however, were often set up with local initiative and funds raked together from collections, subscriptions and specially organised bazaars.

Exterior Nonconformist church

The Nonconformist chapels, especially the early ones, are therefore often simple buildings, with little or no decorations. As Nonconformist chapels didn’t have a chancel in the east, it could be facing whatever way and fit easily into the existing streetscape. The facade facing the street, usually one of the shorter sides, was often the only bit of the chapel decorated.

As the sermon played a main part in the Nonconformist service it was important that every church member could see and hear the preacher. The interior of a chapel was therefore one large rectangular space with pews in the middle and shorter pews along the walls, thus creating two paths down the sides, instead of the one path through the middle like in the traditional church.

Interior Nonconformist church

To create extra seating galleries were added, usually on three sides, supported by slender cast-iron columns that didn’t obstruct the view. The pulpit and often the organ were situated at the side without the gallery.

As time went on the chapels became more ornate, but never overly decorated. Even the large Centenary Chapel, built to commemorate 100 years of Wesleyan Methodism in 1840, is relatively plain and sober

However, fashion did play a role in how Nonconformist chapels looked. The early chapels are built in a sober Georgian style (e.g. Peaseholme Green Chapel). At the beginning of the 19^th Century Greek Revival brought us chapels that looked like Greek Temples (e.g. Centenary Chapel). Then in the last half of the 19^th Century the architects looked back to the Gothic period (e.g. St George’s Church), and the Renaissance (e.g. Wesley Chapel).

In general the Nonconformist chapel in York followed these rules. The two Catholic Churches are exceptions. St George and St Wilfrid differ from the Protestant Nonconformist chapels in that their interiors have got a path down the middle for processions and no galleries. In effect the Roman Catholic churches look like traditional churches.

 The other exception is the Baptist Church. From the outside it looks medieval and traditional with a nave and side isles. But interior is like a Nonconformist church as it has a gallery on three side and pews in the middle.