Chapel And Attached Ancillary Areas At Taunton Deane Crematorium

The building comprises a chapel and attached ancillary areas, constructed in 1963 to the designs of Potter and Hare. It is part of Taunton Deane Crematorium, located off the former MB Wellington New Road. The chapel is built of local random rubble stone in white, grey and brown, with a low-pitched copper-covered roof. The tower is partially clad in thin stone slabs and precast concrete panels.

The chapel is aisleless, with the north end slightly canted outwards to a point. A catafalque is set within an apsidal recess at the south end. To the east is an entrance hall, with offices, a crematory, and other ancillary areas to the east and south. The chapel opens onto a semi-enclosed garden with a covered area on the south side. The chapel is tall, with north and south walls that are canted outwards and have roofs that similarly cant outwards. A semi-circular wall of chambers containing the catafalque is visible above the single-storey ancillary areas to the south and east. The east wall of the chapel is rendered, while the west wall is fully glazed onto the garden, featuring five facetted concrete supports (“pilotis”) rising the full height of the building between 2-light glazed panels. Narrow horizontal ventilation windows form a transom-like division at single-storey level. An asymmetrical, folded timber ceiling extends beyond the glazing on the east and west sides, with the glazing rising to points between the pilotis. The crematory rises above the single-storey areas, and a rectangular tower, containing a chimney flue, rises from it.

The north and south walls have exposed random rubble stonework. At the south end, a canted, pointed aperture lined with stone leads into the catafalque room. The north wall incorporates vertical, floor-to-ceiling strip windows with stained glass in muted greens and blues, deeply recessed and set within rough-textured aluminium boxes. The stained glass is by Geoffrey Clarke, who also designed the altar cross and candlesticks in rough-textured, cast aluminium. The ceiling is of facetted slatted timber and is painted. Original black metal light fittings are arranged in clusters.

The crematorium is a well-crafted building that combines local materials with a modern style and incorporates decorative artwork of significant merit. It forms part of a group with the circular Memorial Chapel to the east.