Mortuary Chapels At Keynsham Cemetery

KEYNSHAM

ST66NW DURLEY HILL 739-1/1/38 (North East side) Mortuary Chapels at Keynsham Cemetery

II

Two attached Anglican mortuary chapels. 1877-8 by Charles Edward Davis of Bath; repaired 1885 by local builder, Edward Harvey. Squared and coursed rock-faced Pennant rubble with Bath ashlar dressings, copings and gabled plain tile roofs. STYLE: Middle Pointed. PLAN: 2 chapels flanking tall carriage archway. EXTERIOR: single-storey chapels and links. Symmetrical composition with each chapel having a 2-light, 2-centred-arched window to north and south gable faces with trefoil-cusped lights and rose tracery sections above; coped parapet with kneelers, crosses at apex and ridge cresting; 2 single-light windows and external battered stacks to return walls. Link buildings have plain 3-light windows with arched heads. Tall carriage archway on both sides has pointed-arched head with carved head stops, diagonal buttresses and small 3-light arched openings with louvres below gable; octagonal spirelet with tiled base, wooden louvred mid section with trefoil decoration and tiled upper spire with wrought-iron weathervane. INTERIOR: each chapel has plain canted rafter roof with plaster infill and stained glass roundels of saints to rose windows. HISTORICAL NOTE: the cemetery was sited in the middle of a very large Roman villa built in the late C3. The chapels were constructed by Keynsham builder, H Sheppard and consecrated in April 1878. The building is a late example of the style, but is of significant local historical importance, entirely unaltered and designed by a major local architect. The chapels were dilapidated and disused at time of survey. (Keynsham Burial Board Records).

Listing NGR: ST6453169262