Continuity and Adaptation: Archway Central Hall, 1934–2010

Abstract

Around one-third of Methodist Central Halls were located in Greater London. They catered for religious worship as well as providing community spaces in a programme of activities that drew on both sacred and secular references. Yet they are entirely neglected in the academic literature. Archway Central Hall is one of the few remaining examples of the Methodist Central Halls built throughout the capital in the early twentieth century that also remains in use as a place of worship. Drawing upon approaches to the study of buildings that emphasize the fluid networks that comprise them, as well as recent scholarship into geographies of religion, this article presents a detailed case study of its genesis and evolution. In doing so, the study contributes to this scholarship by setting the building within its wider context and considers how the structure and its users have adapted to changing social, cultural, and environmental circumstances.