THE TALBOT LANE METHODIST CHURCH  you see today is vastly different from either of the two buildings preceding it on the site. All three places of worship have had quite differing architectural styles.

 The first building was an octagonal chapel where, on several occasions, John Wesley preached to Rotherham folk. That was built in 1761 and served local needs until it was demolished in 1806 and replaced by a much larger, more robust chapel a year later. It was built of red sandstone from a local quarry, possibly from somewhere near where Wilfrid Street now runs, and the rest from another quarry in the present-day Quarry Hill area. It was in Classical style, having an imposing series of columns topped by a pediment. In the years following, congregations grew so large that extensions and adaptations took place in the 1830s and 1850s.

 A tragic fire completely destroyed the Talbot Lane Chapel in 1901 and it was to the eternal credit of many people that the building you see today was designed, constructed and paid for within two years of the fire. So, what you see today immediately opposite Rotherham Town Hall, is a church in neo-Gothic style, which has been described with much justification, as "a gem of Methodist architecture". The woodwork is oak and pitch pine, and the west window is one of South Yorkshire’s best examples of stained glass with a religious theme.

History of the site page will tell you a little more about the previous buildings on this site, stretching from a small chapel to today’s large building, housing not only a place of worship but also a community resource centre, The TALBOT LANE CENTRE. 

In November 2004, the building was closed for a major refurbishment, which included the installation of a lift and disabled toilets. Meeting rooms and offices were refurbished and storage facilities provided under the church. Friendship House, which had been attached to the church building, was demolished to create a car park. In April 2005, the building was re-opened as the Talbot Lane Centre, a modern reality serving as a community resource centre, along with the nearby All Saints Centre, a similar facility at Rotherham Minster. The two centres enjoy joint management as Spires Venues Ltd , an excellent example of co-operation between Methodists and Anglicans.