Baptist Church and Gatepiers

The Baptist Church and Gatepiers, built between 1796 and 1797 while Robert Marsham was the pastor, is an impressive structure that underwent alterations and expansions from 1847 to 1871, including the addition of a Sunday School. The church features a single pediment front set at an angle to the street and elevated with a ramped road approach above a rubble stone retaining wall, complemented by an inner concrete retaining wall, creating the appearance of a double terrace.

Constructed of red brick, the building has a stone band at the base of the pediment, with a moulded stone coping and bracketed angle knee pieces. The tympanum contains a semi-circular window with a plain stone surround and key block. The first floor has three arched windows with similar surrounds, while the ground floor features two similar windows and a central double six-panel door set within a stone architrave, flanked by stone pilasters and cut brackets that support a cornice and pediment, with a bedmould coved over the brackets. The steps are bordered by flanking walls with moulded coping. The side elevations, built in English bond, have three arched windows and a cogged eaves cornice. At the back, there is a secondary smaller block for the Sunday School, which has two tall rectangular windows with glazing bar sashes, brick flat arches, and low-pitched slate roofs.

The gatepiers are made of square stone with rusticated surfaces and feature moulded caps adorned with curved fan and key ornaments, positioned on either side of the concrete-faced retaining wall.

Inside the church, there is a gallery with rounded corners on the southeast side, featuring fielded panels and a dentil moulding cornice. Most of the 19th-century pews remain in place, along with a mid-19th-century organ. The interior also boasts an enriched cornice with egg and dart detailing and patterned ceiling roses.