Hillside Free Church And Hall

Hillside Free Church and Hall is a Baptist church and hall built in 1905 and extended in 1934, all designed by H.G. Ibberson with construction by J.A. Bates. The building is made of stock brick, partly roughcast, with some flint dressings and has a slate roof. It is influenced by the Arts and Crafts Style, particularly the work of C.F.A. Voysey.

The hall features four bays and a west narthex. The west end has a flat-roofed narthex at ground level with an entrance to the south, double doors, an ornamental copper frieze on the lintel, and an inscription. The canted embrasure has an arched head and a roughcast soffit. To the west, there is a three-light brick mullioned window with leaded lights. Above the narthex, the roughcast west gable end includes a large round light with a tile base to the reveal. Flanking brick piers project slightly and form square parapets at the ends of the gable, with some flint and brick chequer work in the piers.

The north and south elevations feature Diocletian windows with stone sills and mullions, also with leaded lights, and roughcast above the sill level. There are pilaster buttresses and boxed eaves, with roof slopes that flare out just above the eaves. A central leaded bell turret is octagonal, tapering to an open head with a domical cupola, a rod finial, and relief panels on four sides.

The east end is roughcast with a projecting strip at the center carrying flues and round-headed ventilation slits, flanked by brick piers similar to those at the west end. There is a one-bay vestry to the east with an entrance and flanking leaded casements, topped with a parapet. To the northeast, there is an outshut with a door featuring a heart ornament. Attached to the east and returning to the north at a 45-degree angle are stock brick hall additions from 1934, also designed by Ibberson.

Inside, the hall features fielded panelled doors from the narthex, tiled panels, and dentilled cornices between the windows. The ceiling has a bird in vine scroll ornament on queen struts from brattished tie beams, and there is a blind round arch at the east end. The interior includes a raised panelled reading desk, a frontal, and an organ case, with an ornamental copper cross suspended above and original stained glass windows.