Baptist Chapel, Forecourt Wall, Gate Piers and Gates is a Grade II listed building in the Somerset local planning authority area, England. First listed on 11 March 1968. Church. 4 related planning applications.
Baptist Chapel, Forecourt Wall, Gate Piers and Gates
- WRENN ID
- eternal-arch-root
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Somerset
- Constituency
- Frome and East Somerset MP: Anna Sabine (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 11 March 1968
- Type
- Church
- Address
- Baptist Chapel, Forecourt Wall, Gate Piers and Gates, Frome Road, Beckington, BA11 6TD
- OS grid reference
- ST 799 517
- Coordinates
- 51.26412, -2.28877
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Baptist Chapel, along with its forecourt wall, gate piers, and gates, dates back to 1786. The chapel is constructed of random rubble and features plain corner pilasters and a pilaster between each bay. It has a moulded cornice and a triangular pediment above the central bay, with parapets on either side that include four baluster panels. The roof is pyramidal and covered with slate, topped by a central arcaded wooden lantern with a bellcast canopy. The facade is symmetrical and classical, with a two-storey frontage consisting of three bays. It has fixed 9-light casements with segmental-headed bead-moulded surrounds that highlight the keystones. The central door opening is similarly moulded, with a segmental-headed surround and a stone triangular pediment above it. The returns also have three bays each, featuring similar fenestration.
At the rear, there is a single-storey ashlar outshut topped with a large octagonal roof lantern that has casements on each face. The tympanum of the crowning pediment is incised with decayed lettering that reads "Baptist Chapel, 1786." Inside, the galleried interior is accessed through a panelled entrance lobby. The gallery, which wraps around three sides, is adorned with elaborate bellied cast iron balustrading, supported by eight slender cast iron columns with trumpet capitals decorated with acanthus motifs. There are four wall monuments from the early 19th century created by Chapman of Frome. The central panelled pulpit is accessible by a flight of steps on each side, featuring turned newel posts and ramped handrails. A Jacobean communion table with turned legs is also present.
The forecourt is marked by a pair of rusticated ashlar gate piers with moulded caps, flanking a pair of wrought iron gates with spear heads on plain shafts, along with a wrought iron lamp overthrow. The forecourt wall is made of coursed rubble with segmental coping on each side.
Local climate
Baptist Chapel, Forecourt Wall, Gate Piers and Gates receives an average of 870 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 63% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 68% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 53% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 4 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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