Summary
Baptist church, built in around 1812, enlarged and refronted in 1872.
Reasons for Designation
Castlehold Baptist Church, High Street, Newport is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a good example of an early-C19 non-conformist church modified in the late C19, that includes a confident 1870s re-fronting with strong architectural detailing.
Historic interest:
* as part of the urban development of Newport’s historic core.
Group value:
* the building is in close proximity to several listed buildings and it forms part of a good group, including with the associated railings (Grade II-listed; National Heritage List for England entry 1034579).
History
Newport's first charter was granted by Richard de Redvers, fourth Earl of Devon in the late C12 and this is generally regarded as marking its foundation. The settlement was laid out on the low-lying ground along the western bank of the River Medina using a grid-style plan. Recent topographic analysis suggests that Newport may have developed around an existing informal trading settlement located at the head of Medina estuary, in the vicinity of Sea and Quay Street (Alexander, 2021). The High Street is one of five east-west running streets within the grid layout. High Street and Pyle Street extend the full length of the grid, divided by a market square, and form the planned core of Newport, with other shorter parallel streets to the south (South Street) and north (Lugley and Crocker Street). They were all largely in place by the mid-C13.
In the C14, the Isle of Wight was frequently subject to raids by French forces during long-running conflicts between England and France. According to historical documents, during one of the raids in 1377, Newport was severely damaged by fire and much of the population fled to Carisbrooke Castle. It appears that Newport was functioning again a few years later. During this century, records indicate that the population of Newport did decrease, most likely due to several wider economic factors, and did not significantly increase until the mid-C17. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1608 under a new charter granted by James I. Newport did not significantly expand beyond its medieval limits until around the late C18. By the mid-C19 there had been a more significant expansion of the town, including the development of its suburbs, which continued into the C20.
Castlehold Baptist Church was first built in around 1812. It is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map (1864; 1:2500) with a rectangular plan form, the front elevation facing south onto the High Street is shown set back from the pavement and there is a narrow passageway along its eastern side. A large rear garden is shown to the rear, which is wider than the width of the High Street frontage. The church was enlarged in 1872, including rebuilding the front elevation and extensions to the rear. At around this time, the railings in front of the church were added. The Second Edition OS map (1898; 1:2500) shows that the new elevation had been brought forward closer to the pavement and extended across the whole width of the plot, blocking off the end of the narrow, eastern passageway, and the rear (north end) of the building with a slightly wider footprint. The Third Edition OS map (1910; 1:2500) marks the grounds to the rear church as a burial ground. By the late 1960s, a two-storey L-shaped wing had been added to the north-west corner, on the site of an earlier structure.
Details
Baptist church, built in around 1812, enlarged and refronted in 1872.
MATERIALS: the front (south) elevation is faced with Gault bricks and stucco detailing. The side elevations are partially covered with concrete render and the rear is faced in brick of various bonds. The main roof of the building is covered in tile.
PLAN: the church’s footprint is roughly rectangular, orientated south to north. The late-C19 south (front) elevation is wider than the main body of the church and occupies the full width of the plot facing the High Street. The rear footprint is also slightly wider than the main body of the church and there is a mid-C20 addition attached to the north-west.
EXTERIOR: the front elevation of Castlehold Baptist Church faces the High Street (south). It has two tall storeys topped by a large pediment. The church is five bays wide and is set back from the pavement behind cast iron railings (qv) which enclose a concrete-covered courtyard. The front elevation of the building is primarily faced with Gault brick with stucco decorative details. The first four bays (looking left to right) are raised on two steps above the level of the courtyard forming a stylobate. The fifth bay is on a level with the pavement, corresponding with the original east passageway. The elevation is flanked by two Giant order Corinthian pilasters (at either end of the elevation) and the bays are delineated by four engaged Corinthian columns. The central three bays project forward slightly from the line of the rest of the elevation. The two end bays are also slightly narrower than the three central ones. On the ground floor, each bay has a door surmounted by a round-headed arch, with a fanlight and enlarged keystone. The three central bays have double doors with a fielded and recessed panel at their lower level on each door leaf and a round-headed glazed opening above. The two side bays have single doors with four fielded and recessed panels. The door in the fifth bay has an additional, small rectangular panel between the door and the fanlight, with two fielded and recessed panels. Between the ground and first-floor level, there is a moulded string course that runs across the elevation, between the Corinthian engaged columns. Directly above this, within each bay, sits a recessed, round-headed window opening, with moulded stucco dressings. Each opening houses a four-over-four sash window that has a border of narrower panes of coloured glass. Below the window, there is a short, decorative balustrade inset. Above the second-floor windows (supported by the Corinthian pilasters and engaged columns) is a large entablature comprising a plain architrave and frieze as well as a cornice decorated with dentils and modillions. Above the level of the cornice, extending across the central three bays, is a triangular pediment to match the cornice.
The south end of the church's side elevations are covered with concrete render. On the western elevation, there are visible recessed windows with block cills at the first-floor level. These have six panes bordered by narrower panes. The east side of the main body of the church has further windows; this elevation is partially obscured by the adjacent buildings. The north end of the building is faced in red brick of various bonds. The principal west elevation at this end is largely blank. The principal north elevation is faced in stretcher bond brick. It includes a narrow ground-floor window flanked by pairs of larger six-over-six horned sashes. Above there are two further pairs of first-floor sashes. All the windows are under segmental arches. At the top is a central arched shallow recess. There is a further bay to the east where the rear of the building widens; it includes horned-sash windows on both floors of its south side, and further windows in various styles and an external metal staircase attached to the east. The church’s long-pitched roof is covered in tile; the slope extends to a lower level over the wider north-east corner of the building. Attached to the north-west comer is an L-shaped two-storey extension faced in brick and hung slate, with horned sash windows, and sitting under a pitched and flat roof.
The List entry was previously named Castle Hold Baptist Church.
