Steep Lane Baptist Chapel And School

The building comprises a Baptist Chapel and School, constructed in 1873 and 1874. It is built of coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and a stone slate roof. The chapel’s gable faces the road, with a school cross-wing extending to the rear.

The chapel is two storeys high with a three-by-five bay arrangement. It features a plinth, cill bands, and a first-floor impost band. Giant corner pilasters support a corniced pediment, and the windows have glazing bars and margin lights. The central bay, constructed of ashlar and slightly projecting, has steps leading to a panelled double door with an overlight within an architrave. Pilasters support a pedimented entablature, which continues over the side lights. The outer bays have square-headed windows on bracketed sills. The first-floor windows are round-arched with archivolts and imposts; the central window is tripartite with a wider central light and a keystone rising into the cornice. Above is a blocking course and an oculus within a console-bracketed architrave with leaf-moulded keystones and the inscription '1874 Steep Lane'. A scroll and the blocking course below continue the inscription 'PARTICULAR BAPTIST CHAPEL'. Returns have square-headed windows to the ground floor and round-arched windows above, all with glazing bars and bracketed sills. Plain gutter brackets are present, along with a corniced stack at the rear gable.

To the right return is a gabled schoolroom, projecting slightly, of two storeys with a basement and three bays. It has square-headed windows to the basement and ground floor, round-arched windows to the first floor, and an oculus in the gable. The left return to the schoolroom has steps up to a door set below a window, with a date plaque above. The plaque reads "HEPZIBAH/1820/Peace be within this sacred place/And joy a constant guest/With holy gifts and heavenly grace/ Be her attendants blest". A stone above the plaque is dated 1751 and one below is inscribed 'SCHOOL 1873 CHAPEL 1874'.

The chapel's interior features a full gallery supported by cast-iron fluted Ionic columns. There are three plaster ceiling roundels depicting elaborate foliage. Turned balusters form the pulpit railings, and box pews are included. The ante-chamber contains an open-string stair to the gallery, with turned balusters and a moulded handrail. This structure replaced a prior chapel on the site built in 1820, which itself superseded an earlier chapel likely built in 1751.