Baptist Chapel

Details

187/0/10024 STATION ROAD 19-SEP-06 Redhill Baptist Chapel

II Chapel including Sunday School and vestry. Dated 1858 on a tablet on the front gable. Classical style. Built in yellow brick in flemish bond with polychrome red brick dressings and slate roof.

PLAN: Rectangular with Sunday School and vestry behind the chapel.

EXTERIOR: The front elevation is gabled with overhanging eaves with modillion eaves cornice. In the centre of the gable is a tablet inscribed "BAPTIST CHAPEL ERECTED 1858". There is a red brick band at gable level, brick quoins and window dressings and a stuccoed plinth. There are three metal casement windows, a central two-light fixed round-headed window with brick Gibbs surround flanked by lower larger round-headed windows, also with brick Gibbs surrounds and central panes opening internally. There is a central projecting gabled porch with slate roof and double doors, each with two panels with beaded moulding. Attached to the left hand side is a section of original cast iron spear railings but the front section has been replaced by a three feet high later C19 brown brick wall with four panels and stone coping. The left side elevation has two round-headed windows and the right side two round-heded windows, a sash window with glazing bars and a door with four flush panels. The rear elevation has a late C20 yellow brick lean-to extension but the original rear wall survives with 12-pane sash window.

INTERIOR: The chapel is of three bays with a boarded kingpost roof with two circular cast iron ventilation apertures. Behind the porch is a wooden three tier panelled screen and plank dado panelling survives to all four walls. There is fixed bench seating to the centre and sides and a wooden square pulpit with sunk panels divided into three by ribs and steps with moulded balusters, chamfered newel posts and door. The rear wall has two four-panelled doors, the left door leading to the former Sunday School and the righ door to the vestry. All the internal joinery is painted and wood grained. Above each door is a stone pedimented memorial tablet, above the left to George Balcliff, Deacon, died 1917 and above the right door to Edwin Pickwell, Pastor, died 1918. The immersion tank for baptism remains beneath the floor. To the rear of the chapel is the Sunday School to the left and Vestry to the right divided by an original wooden five panel screen with three folding doors. The Vestry has a wooden fireplace with pilasters and round-headed cast iron firegrate.

HISTORY: A contemporary illustration shows that when this chapel was built it was surrounded by a field or green with cottages nearby but it is now closely surrounded by later buildings in the centre of the town.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: A little altered simple Classical rectangular brick Strict Baptist chapel with the rare survival of a complete chapel interior of 1858, including panelled screen, fixed benches and pulpit.

SOURCES: Pevsner/Nairn "Buildings of England. Surrey". 1971.p422. Christopher Stell "An Inventory of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting-houses in Eastern England" 2002. p. 326.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

495317

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Stell, C, An Inventory of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting Houses in South West England, (1991), 326
Pevsner, N, Nairn, I Rev. by Cherry, The Buildings of England: Surrey, (1971), 422

End of official list entry

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