Baldhu Methodist Church And Sunday School

SW 74 SE 1045/1/10014

KEA BALDHU Baldhu Methodist Church and Sunday School

II

Wesleyan chapel later becoming Sunday School when Methodist Chapel built. Early C19 and 1889 inscription to present chapel. Original chapel is slurried rubble and there are 2 parallel slurried scantle slate hipped roofs with red clay ridge and hip tiles; cast-iron ogee gutters and downpipes. Present chapel is roughly-coursed killas rubble with granite dressings, painted rubble to sides and rear; scantle slate roof with red clay alternate crested ridge tiles the front gable with moulded coping and kneelers. Original chapel is a rectangular plan with porch at the front end and what appears to be an integral or slightly later schoolroom alongside on its left. Alternatively, it may be that the chapel was in the front part of this and there was a schoolrom or vestry behind. The right-hand corner of the 1889 chapel adjoins the rear left-hand corner of the schoolroom and this chapel has a small rectangular aisle-less plan. 1889 chapel has round-arched openings and a symmetrical 2-window front. There is a date and name plaque to the gable above a rose window with quatrefoil glazing. The doorway has a Y-traceried fanlight with leaded glazing over a panelled door. Tall 2-light windows on either side have Y-traceried heads. The 2-window side elevations have similar windows. The original chapel has segmental brick arches over 3 original 16-pane hornless sashes to its right-hand side and there is a lean-to trap house to far right. The hip-roofed porch has a window to the left-hand side and there is a blocked doorway to its right-hand side. Left of the porch is an original tall 24-pane sash. Left-hand return has original sash with glazing bars on the left but with heightened sill to fit later C19 panelled door under, and there is a hornless 4-pane sash on the right. INTERIOR of present chapel not inspected except to note that it appears to retain its original fittings. The original chapel with schoolroom is divided by 3-bay colonnade (under the roof valley) with iron stanchions and the inner bay is divided by a wooden screen. There is a staging at the left-hand end and a rostrum in front of this. FITTINGS: mid C19 rostrum with turned balustrade and panelled end piers in early C19 chapel; 1889 chapel retains pews and rostrum with decorative railing to low partition across front of choir area, 1925 organ. This represents a good example of an evolved group, the original chapel expres'sing all the vernacular qualities one associates with a simple Cornish wayside chapel.

Listing NGR: SW7785142621