Bonsall Baptist Church, Attached Railings, Entrance Gatepiers And Boundary Walls

SK25NE 668/6/10030

BONSALL YEOMAN STREET Bonsall Baptist Church, attached railings, entrance gatepiers and boundary walls

II

Non-Conformist chapel, attached railings, entrance gatepiers and boundary walls. Dated 1824, with minor late C20 alterations. Roughcast rubble limestone with ashlar gritstone dressings and a Staffordshire Blue clay tile roof covering. PLAN: Simple linear plan, aligned north-south with east side wall entrance and north gallery. FRONT (east) ELEVATION: 3 bay front, with tall semi-circular arch- headed windows set within ashlar surrounds with keyblocks and projecting cills. Small-paned cast iron window frames with each radiating bars to the arched head, set above a pivoted 6-pane opening light. To the right-hand end, semi-circular arch headed doorway with keylock, fanlight and 6-panel door. Above the doorway, a plaque which reads "BAPTIST 1824". 2 tall windows to south gable, and 2 shallow arch-headed windows to upper part of the north gable light the north gallery. INTERIOR: Entrance leads into lobby to the rear of the chapel, from which a plain stick baluster stair gives access to the gallery, which retains contemporary tiered benching. Plain gallery front. At ground floor level, panelled settles separate the body of the chapel from the entrance lobby. Dado boarding to chapel walls, and simple central pulpit with ball finials above boarded frontage, SETTING: To the front of the chapel are spear-headed railings which enclose the frontage plot' extending eastwards to the entrance gatepiers which are of square section with depressed pyramidal caps, the left-hand pier supporting a metal lamp fitting. Railed entrance gate with mid rail. Attached rubble limestone boundary walls set at angle to define entrance area, then extending south and north, with plain flat coping. HISTORY: The chapel was originally built as a preaching station of the Baptist Church of nearby Wirksworth. A little altered example of an early C19 Baptist chapel, serving a small rural mixed industrial and agricultural community, which demonstrates, both externally and internally, the characteristic simplicity and modesty of fittings and finishes of churches of the Baptist movement of the period.

Listing NGR: SK2786958222