Birchwood Chapel And Boundary Wall

Birchwood Chapel, built in 1887, is a chapel of ease constructed from random rubble local stone with ashlar dressings. It features a chamfered plinth, quoins, and coped verges, topped with a double-Roman tile roof. The building has a four-bay nave with a chancel and a south-west porch flanked by vestries, along with a simple wooden bell-cote that houses a bell. The single-storey porch has a three-bay design with a lean-to roof and a gabled central pointed arch opening, which is chamfered and flanked by pointed arch windows. Inside, there is a similar chamfered pointed arch inner doorway with a plank door, a square-headed opening to the vestry on the right, and a pointed arch window on the right return. The east end features a three-light window, while the north front has four lancets and the west end has two. There is a pointed arch doorway to the vestry on the west front. All windows contain coloured glass. Although the interior was not accessible during the survey, it is known to have whitewashed brick walls and can seat 80 people. The chapel is surrounded by random rubble chert walls with renewed coping, and the entrance is located in the south-east corner. The anticipated expansion of Birchwood in the late 19th century has not occurred, leaving the chapel situated amidst fields and orchards behind the hamlet.