Baptist Church And Attached Walls And Piers

The Baptist Church, built around 1856, is a notable example of Classical architecture located on Station Road in Chippenham. Constructed from limestone ashlar with a slate roof, the church features moulded kneelers at the gable ends. It has a rectangular plan, with a lower rear block and single-storey lean-tos on each side at the back.

The exterior is two storeys high and presents a symmetrical three-window arrangement. An entablature and high pediment adorn the facade, which is enhanced by pilasters with moulded plinths and capitals. The first floor showcases fixed 16-pane windows with eared and shouldered architraves, while the ground floor features tall blind windows flanking double doors set within a moulded architrave, topped by a shallow hood supported by consoles. The side returns have three segmental-arched 16-pane windows on the first floor and similar flat-arched windows below.

At the rear, the church hall, which has an entrance on St Mary's Place, is lower than the main church. It includes a small corbelled niche at the gable apex, three 9-pane windows on the first floor, and three 16-pane windows on the ground floor. The northern lean-to contains a 19th-century four-panel door.

The church is accompanied by subsidiary features, including ashlar walls approximately 1 meter high that are attached to each rear lean-to, framing the site and ending in ashlar piers with plinths, recessed panels, cornices, and block tops, which stand about 1.5 meters high. A plinth wall with 20th-century railings descends in three stages from left to right, leading to central 20th-century gates flanked by similar piers.