Methodist Church And Attached Walls And Piers

CHIPPENHAM

ST9173NE MONKTON HILL 930-1/6/151 (West side) 22/06/78 Methodist Church and attached walls and piers (Formerly Listed as: MONKTON HILL (West side) Methodist Church)

II

Methodist church. c1909. Limestone ashlar; coursed rubblestone basement with freestone quoins and architraves; slate roof. Standard rectangular plan. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, 3 storeys to the right and rear due to sloping site; symmetrical 5-window range. A modillion cornice and blocking course encircle the building. 2-light windows with leaded lights. The outer ranges and front ranges of the returns are stepped forward, forming corner towers between which a dentilled pediment with a keyed oculus spans the central 3 ranges. Semicircular-arched windows with moulded archivolts and keystones to the 1st floor, those to the front and towers have plain fanlights; tall ones to the corner towers; 3 shorter ones to the centre are flanked by engaged Ionic columns resting on a continuous projecting apron. Similar openings below are taller and wider with double doors to the right-hand opening and a modillion cornice over the columns. Ground-floor windows of the towers and basement windows have flat arches and moulded architraves. 4 windows to both returns are articulated by plain pilasters; moulded archivolts frame the 1st-floor windows and extend down to the sill of those of the ground floor which are flat-arched; 1st-floor windows are tall with semicircular arches to each light and a circular pane to the top. Toward the rear is a semicircular arch to a door, a 2-storey lean-to is to the rear. INTERIOR: not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the rubblestone basement extends at the front to form a platform with steps to the left. It has an ashlar wall and gabled piers to the corners. HISTORY: the site was bought in 1900 and "cleared and excavated by men of the church 1902-3" Intended to mark the centenary of Methodism in Chippenham. (Chamberlain, Joseph A: Chippenham: Chippenham: 1976-: 143).

Listing NGR: ST9198973537