Introduction

Building: The Foundation Christian Fellowship Pentecostal Church Location: Vaughan Road, North Skelton (NZ 6743 1851) Parish: Skelton District: Redcar & Cleveland Unitary Authority

Fig.1 ­ General view of the Foundation Christian Fellowship Pentecostal Church, North Skelton

Referred to locally as the "tin tabernacle", this "rare example of a public building constructed from corrugated iron" (Tees Archaeology Sites & Monuments Record, 2003), is an active Pentecostal church (Fig. 1).

Public buildings of this type, while relatively common in neighbouring County Durham (Emery, 1990), appear to have been less widespread in Cleveland, with only three other known examples in this region.

This survey, in addition to providing the first detailed measured and photographic record of this particular building, will indicate the potential for the survival of similar buildings in the region and signpost the need for further documentary research and fieldwork to be carried out on this important, yet often overlooked class of building (Daniels pers.comm. 2003).

As an active church, access to the interior and rear of the building was limited to a single two-hour period once a week when it was opened for cleaning and maintenance; the south, west and part of the east elevations were freely accessible with the building closed. This limited window of opportunity, together with other work commitments, allowed a total of five visits with full access to be made between February and April 2003, with a number of further visits when the building was closed.

Research Aims

The principal aims of this recording project are to;

(i) Enhance the Tees Archaeology Sites & Monuments Record for this building. (ii) Provide a RCHME Level 3 record of the building (iii) Briefly assess the potential for the survival of similar buildings in the Teesside area and identify any possible parallels with the results of the County Durham survey (iv) Make the information gathered from the project available to the general public (particularly within the local community), through the production of a report with copies deposited in local archives, libraries, museums and the church itself.

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