This little chapel has intrigued Sunderland since 1889

It is one of Sunderland's most intriguing small buildings, although very few people reading this are likely to have ever been in.

The former chapel, standing at the north end of Kayll Road close to Sunderland Royal Hospital, is one of those buildings that thousands of passers-by have wondered about for well over a century.

The Echo has tried to find out about the building and have managed to establish a few facts. However, there are gaps to be filled in the story, hard though we tried. However...

Methodism

Put simply, the brothers John and Charles Wesley founded what became known as Methodism in the 19th century. Kayll Road Wesleyan Chapel was opened in 1889.

A 1890 Echo report showed that those running the church were feeling pretty pleased with themselves on its first anniversary.

According to the report on a meeting there: "The report of Capt. Paddon, secretary, showed that during the year the income for all sources amounted to over £15, whilst the expenditure reached over £13, which left a balance to the good of £3 4s 2d. (Applause).

"The Rev W Ainsworth, in congratulating the members of the chapel upon the work of the past twelve months, expressed the belief that the success of the Kayll-road (sic) church would be a comfort and stimulus to the Wesleyan community in the town."

Details of how the congregation might have whooped it up with well over three big ones to play with (their maths, not ours) have been lost to history.

The church was built to serve a burgeoning Methodist community in Sunderland - and burgeon it did. Methodist churches in Fawcett Street beside Burn Park were also thriving concerns.

The Foundation Stone of Ewesley Road's church, more-or-less at the other end of the quarter-mile Kayll Road, was partly funded by Burn Park and Kayll Road churches and the foundation laid on July 9, 1902.

It was officially opened on Feb 3, 1904 when a 7pm public meeting followed an afternoon tea, an organ recital and other debauchery besides.

The last Kayll Road service held, before the congregation transferred to the far bigger Ewesley Road venue, was on Nov 29, 1903. There were reportedly 51 members present; even a cursory glance at the little building today suggests that this must have been something of a snug fit.

British church attendance has dwindled over the decades and Methodism is no exception.

In 1966 there were 33 Methodist churches in Sunderland - before Washington and Houghton became part of the city. Today there are nine, in and around the city.

Ewesley Road Methodist Church closed in September 2021.

Since 1903

Many readers will remember the Kayll Road chapel as a Church of the Nazarene which, again in simple terms, is an off-shoot of Methodism and founded in 1908 in the USA.

Hereafter the details on the chapel are a little sketchy. We are yet to establish exactly when the Church of the Nazarene took over the building.

Nor do we know if the chapel was always so small. In living memory, the ground floor has always been a shop. Many will recall that for many years it was a butchers shop run by the Young family.

The Echo understands that the Youngs owned the church as well as the two shops below. They rented out the church when it was still used for religious purposes.

The Young family sold the shops and chapel in the 1990s. At some point afterwards the chapel was converted into a flat.

For about 20 years now the shop has been the excellent Homestyle re-upholstery specialists.

The building is not listed, which might come as a surprise. Further along Kayll Road the West Branch Library, a comparative youngster completed in 1909, has Grade II status.

We can confirm that the little chapel was converted into a private and unique flat some years ago. Its current occupiers were good enough to help the Echo's enquiries.

We don't know exactly when the Church of the Nazarene moved out, but we think it was in the late 1990s, to to premises on Westbury Street in Millfield.

It is obvious, not least from the shape of the windows, that the building was purpose built as a church. The words "People's Miss(ion)" remain engraved above the entrance.

One previous owner told us he intended to fill in and paint over "Peoples Miss...", but never got around to it.

The chapel/flat was sold to a property investor from Leicester in early 2008.

There is more to the story than our efforts have so far unearthed. If anyone can educate us further, please get in touch; especially if you have any more pictures.

* Our thanks, not for the first time, to Phil Curtis of the Sunderland Antiquarian Society; Dave Ritchie, Andrea Saward and to Deanne, the current occupant.