Columbjohn Chapel And Churchyard Wall

Columbjohn Chapel is a private chapel built around 1844, constructed from ashlar volcanic trap with a roof of red clay fish scale plain tiles. This tiny single-celled structure is designed in the Romanesque Revival style and features a west bellcote. The west end has a bellcote with a pyramidal tiled roof, supported by small buttresses on the west, north, and south sides, resting on a large central buttress with one offset. The bell is still present.

On the south side, there is a round-headed south door at the extreme west end, which has two orders of zig-zag and one plain design, along with nook shafts and cushion capitals. To the east, there is a single round-headed lancet window with zig-zag moulding. The east end features a wide single-light, round-headed window, also with zig-zag and nook shafts with cushion capitals, topped by a stone apex cross. The north side has two blind bays framed by pilaster buttresses, with an upper horizontal chamfered detail. A wall plinth runs around the entire structure.

Inside, the sides are decorated with recesses under segmentally-headed arches—three on the north side and two on the south—featuring bead moulding and pilasters in between. There are round-headed sedilia, and the east window has hook shafts, cushion capitals, and zig-zag detailing. The roof is diagonally boarded.

The graveyard wall, made of random rubble volcanic trap, is included in this listing. Historical records indicate that the old chapel was overgrown and neglected in 1831, as shown in a drawing by John Gendall, and the current design does not resemble the chapel marked on the 1843 tithe map. While there is no record of the architect, it is suggested that it may have been designed by Cockrell.