As you walk through the front doors of Wesley Hall you are met by the fabulous, original parquet flooring which flows through most of the building. Some visitors may remember a sign put up by the previous owners saying, "stilettos not allowed" in an attempt to prevent damage to the flooring. At this point the parquet had been varnished but had worn away almost completely in most areas. During restoration, local flooring specialist Neil Robinson from Hinderwell was brought in to sand back the wood and then apply three coats of oil which would feed and nourish the wood, bringing out its natural colour. Although this treatment lasts longer that varnish, it still needs reapplying every few years, especially on areas of heavy footfall.
Beautiful parquet flooring before and after restoration
Either side of Wesley’s front door are the toilets complete with original fixtures and fittings. It was most upsetting that shortly after reopening in 2018 an original chain pull was stolen.
Above the door to the gentleman’s toilet is the electrical board for the Hall originally installed in the cellar. The board is a complex example of early electrical pioneering. Installed in 1901 when the Hall was built, electricity had been invented around twenty years earlier and was not yet common in the average home. This is a sure sign that Wesley Hall was built with cutting edge technology and a generous budget. The board was cleaned up and brought upstairs and is displayed for historical interest.
On the left of the entrance is Wesley Hall’s Roll of Honour, a beautifully hand painted memorial which has been part of the building since World War I. An unusual feature of the memorial is it gives the start date of the war but not the end - the painting was never completed. On each Remembrance Day, the memorial takes centre stage within a large poppy display on the spiral staircase in the centre of the building. It also features in Whitby Civic Society’s war memorial trail available to buy in the museum shop.
Roll of Honour
The cabinet in the entrance hall contains historical items found in the building during the restoration. There are also items of interest donated by local residents who were married, christened or attended Sunday school in the building.
Entrance hall before restoration