United Reform Church And Former Ministers House

CHIPPENHAM

ST9273SW EMERY LANE 930-1/10/28 United Reform Church and former 22/06/78 Minister's House (Formerly Listed as: EMERY LANE United Reform Church)

II

United Reform Church. Dated 1825 and 1904. Minister's house mid C19. CHAPEL: squared and coursed limestone with plain freestone dressings, hipped slate roof. Rectangular plan with higher 1904 block to the rear. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; originally symmetrical 3-window range now with a mid C19 porch and extension to front left. Parapet, cornice, platband and plinth. A central pediment has an inscription in the tympanum "Tabernacle first erected in 1770. Rebuilt in the year 1825". Fixed leaded 2-light windows; that under the pediment has a semicircular arch and pointed-arched lights, that to the ground-floor right has a transom with 3 similar windows to the ground floor of each return and pointed arches to the lights of the 1st-floor windows above them. The mid C19 ashlar porch, (a lean-to from the platband), has a cornice and blocking course, double 3-panel doors, and a 4-pane window to the right. The window to the left is covered by the left-hand front extension. The block to the rear is limestone rubble to the ground floor and English-bond brick to the 1st floor, probably hightened in 1904 to accommodate the organ. INTERIOR: the stone-flagged porch gives onto stairs to each side, in tongued-and-grooved lobbies at the base, and with stick balusters and turned newels at gallery level. The tiered gallery, supported by cast-iron columns, has original pews and a modillion cornice. The interior was altered c1904 in a late C19 style when the rear wall was opened with a semi-elliptical arch to give access to the organ which is on the 1st floor of the rear block; an inverted segmental arch to the base of the opening is fronted by a parapet with large patera in ornate recesses. Below, a dais and steps with turned balusters and newels flank a pulpit with trefoil heads to 3 panels. Tongued-and-grooved panelling up to a dado rail surrounds the ground floor. The gallery front has a dentilled cornice; recessed panels with recessed trefoils and a modillion cornice to the base. MINISTER'S HOUSE: Flemish-bond brick with limestone ashlar facade, slate roof with truncated stack to the left gable end. Double-depth plan. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 2-window range. 6/6-pane sash windows, platband, and a semi-elliptical arched carriage entrance (now blocked) to the right with the edge roll inscribed "Congregational Church". A small 6/6-pane sash window is to the far right. The left return has a 6/6-pane sash window to both floors. The house is now connected to the chapel by a block which covers most of the left-hand range of the building. INTERIOR: not inspected.

Listing NGR: ST9226273337