Wokingham Baptist Church

SU 8068 NE & SU 8168 NW 17/1 & 18/1

WOKINGHAM MILTON ROAD (east side) Wokingham Baptist Church

30.11.84

G.V. II

Baptist Church. c1860 by Poulton and Woodman of Reading, in an eclectic Victorian style. Banded brick, Portland stone dressings, slate roof. L-plan with apsidal north east end and gabled to road; lower meeting hall adjoining on right. Part one storey, part two storeys, with mezzanine. Symmetrical front with five bay central, projecting, pedimented gable rising above one bay flanking sides. Brick plinth, stone impost band, moulded brick and stone string over door arches, continuous stone cill band at upper window level, stone plat band at upper window arch level; moulded stone and brick architraves, dentilled brick and moulded stone pediment with antifixae and acroterion; keyed oculus in tympanum pierced with four circular openings.

Centre gable has five single-light round headed windows with thin square and circular pattern glazing, under round stone arches with keystones. Below these are three large pairs of boarded entry doors with similar pattern glazed overlights under round brick and stone voussoir arches. Flanking sides are of similar design but with single light windows on ground floor with similar glazing and arches in place of doors. On the right hand and set well back is a one storey meeting hall in the same style with pedimented, dentilled eaves, three bays of windows at upper level with single planked entrance door below, with flat stone carved lintel and overlight with circular glazing.

Interior: five bay main hall with pilasters commencing from lower window level, plain string and moulded heads, with plain ceiling cornice; coffered ceiling. Apsidal sanctuary with moulded ribbed arch on moulded springers with pairs of carved brackets with leaf decoration. In front of the arch is a wooden panelled pulpit with an ornamental carved front, approached on either side by a small flight of curved wooden stairs with plain handrails, newels with moulded heads and spiked tops. At the south west end there is a panelled gallery at mezzanine level, part cantilevered with carved wooden brackets closely spaced, and part supported on five slim iron columns with acanthus leaf heads. At this level there is an organ in a panelled case with exposed gilded pipes.

Listing NGR: SU8099968797