Congregational Church Forecourt Wall At Congregational Church

The forecourt wall at the Congregational Church, built between 1750 and 1755 by John Whitty, who was both the minister and architect, features pebbledash cladding over stone walls and a hipped slate roof. The wall has a coved and moulded cornice and rusticated quoins. The front elevation is two stories high, with four round-headed windows on the lower level and three oval openings above, two of which are blocked. There is a round-headed doorway flanked by Doric pilasters, topped with an entablature, and featuring panelled double doors.

To the left, there is a 19th-century addition with a gable end facing the front, rendered with a circular window above a six-panelled door, which has painted voussoirs and is flanked by round-headed windows. The forecourt walls date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The wall in front of the chapel has a rendered and pebbledash finish facing Coombe Street, while the inner face is made of red and brown brick above a blue lias base, topped with ashlar coping. The brick gate piers in the center and at both ends have moulded capping, and the outer faces facing Coombe Street are clad in pebbledash. In the center, there are 19th-century gates with rails that feature fleur-de-lys finials, rising alternately to two different heights. At the left end, before the 19th-century extension, there is a wall made of regularly coursed stone rubble with rendered coping.

The Congregational Church and the forecourt wall, along with Nos 23 to 28, form a cohesive group.