Hope Chapel And Parsons House Parson'S House

Hope Chapel and Parsons House, located on Hope Street and including Parson's House at 21 Wilson Street, was built in 1810 and extended towards Hope Street in 1848, with datestones on the front and rear. The building is constructed of brick, with some areas rendered, and features stone dressings and a slate roof. The chapel serves as a meeting hall with a four-sided gallery, where the organ is situated on the fourth side, and a vestry is located beneath it. The central door leads into a hall that provides access to the balconies via side stairs.

The attached parson's house has two storeys and three bays, with a stone plinth and banding. It features two tiers of windows set under giant arches, complete with moulded architraves, keystones, and a stone panel separating the windows. Originally, there were two door openings on either side of the central window, but now there is only a central door. The building has a stone cornice and parapet. The side elevation shows a double gable that distinguishes the original 1810 structure on the right from the 1848 extension on the left. The parson's house consists of two bays and three storeys, built at different times, and has stone sills and lintels along with a hipped roof.

Inside, the fittings are in excellent condition and include a communion rail with cast iron balusters, a central pulpit, and box pews that curve around three sides of the auditorium and gallery. The panelled gallery is supported by cast-iron columns with foliated capitals, and the organ is also located here. Most of the interior features appear to date from around 1845. John Kershaw was the founder of the chapel, and there is a memorial to him on the west wall.