Baptist Chapel And Attached Cottage

The Baptist Chapel and attached cottage, dated 1833 and rebuilt in 1873 with later alterations, is a notable structure located in Worthen. The building features a stucco exterior with a plain tile roof. The chapel has a gable front with fixed-light round-headed windows on either side of a gabled porch, which contains inner double doors with six panels and a window above. There are two similar windows at the east end of the chapel. A datestone on the front reads 'Erected/AD 1833/Rebuilt/1873' and is topped with a pointed finial.

The attached cottage, likely built around 1873, is one storey with an attic and has a toothed eaves cornice. It features plate-glass sash windows on either side of a central entrance, with gabled half dormers directly above. The entrance has a four-panel door with a bracketed lean-to hood, and there is a rendered internal end stack to the right.

Inside the chapel, most fittings are from the late 19th century, including benches, wainscot paneling, and a reader's desk. However, two cast-iron columns supporting the west gallery may be original. A round-arched panel behind the desk, supported by two pairs of consoles, bears the painted words "Serve the Lord with Gladness." The roof has circular molded panels. A four-panel door with a rectangular overlight in the left wall leads to a lean-to vestry.

Historically, the cottage served as the manse, and the chapel is mentioned in the works of Mary Webb, a Shropshire novelist. The rebuilding of the chapel coincided with a period of extensive improvements at the nearby Snailbeach Lead Mine.