Salem Church Including Boundary Walls And Assembly Room

EAST BUDLEIGH VICARAGE ROAD ST 08 NE 3/115 Salem Church including boundary 30.6.61 walls and assembly room.

II*

Built as a Presbyterian chapel, later Congregational chapel, Evangelical Church since 1975. 1719, refurbished 1836 according to the date plaque. Plastered walls are thick enought to be cob on stone rubble footings; slate roof. Square building facing south-east with entrances left and right of the front under the gallery at this end. A C19 vestry projects at right angles from rear to right (north-eastern) side. Front wall contains 2 panelled doors in low segmental headed arches. High in the wall in the centre is a rectangular limestone plaque inscribed, 'Salem Chapel, built 1719', and the sill is inscribed, 'enlarged 1836', (referring to an increase in seating capacity rather than structural alterations). The wall is lightly incised as ashlar and the corners have stucco quoins. Roof is hipped each end on all sides. Each side wall contains 2 tall segmental-headed windows containing replacment mullion-and-transom windows with glazing bars. The rear wall contains 2 tall and narrow round-headed windows with the 1836 pattern of glazing bars intersecting at the top. Interior. The gallery across the front end is original with fielded panels over a dentil cornice. Those along the sides were added in 1836. These are supported on slender cast iron circular columns with moulded caps. They have a lower frieze comprising a fret pattern below panels with concave corners which contain rosettes. The moulded and bracketed cornice is original; so too is the vaulted ceiling rising at the centre from an iron post which replaced the original timber post. The timber preaching desk and benches are probably late C19 but some earlier box pews remain in the galleries. C18 painted clock-face on north-east gallery. The small vestry contains late C19 4-panel door and 3-light casement with glazing bars. The assembly room in the eastern corner of the churchyard has a 2-window front of early C19 30-pane sashes, one either side of a later 4-panel door. Another 30-pane sash on the left end and on the right end a wide doorway to a basement. The small churchyard is enclosed by a whitewashed rubble and brick wall, more brick to the front. Front wall has plain square gate piers and contains C19 cast iron double gates (spear headed rails alternately full height and to the lock bar) and wrought iron overthrow enriched with scrolls and including a lamp holder. A well preserved and unusually early Non-Conformist Chapel. Source: C. Stell. RCHM Inventory of Non-Conformist Chapels (Forthcoming)

Listing NGR: SY0702585057