Sardis Independent Chapel and attached schoolroom

Sardis Independent Chapel and Attached Schoolroom

This chapel is a whitewashed stucco building with a hipped slate roof, set on a near-square plan with its facade facing the shorter front. The exterior displays three bays on the front elevation, framed by large paired pilasters that divide the outer bays with an incised slot between them. Each pair of pilasters has single moulded caps and bases. Matching single pilasters appear on the one-bay left side-wall return. Cornices run over the outer bays and return along the left side, with a broad frieze beneath the eaves but no top moulding. The narrow centre bay carries only the lower course of cornice without frieze; instead, a gable rises through the eaves bearing a plaque and keyed roundel, with an eaved gable featuring corbel brackets beneath.

The side bays rest on a high plinth with moulded cornice and rock-faced stone base, which breaks forward under the pilasters. Long arched outer windows have moulded short impost bands, arches and keystones, with thin incised lines defining the jambs. The ground floor centre has an arched doorway with panelled double doors and panelled pilasters inlaid in tile, plus a moulded arch with triple keys. Short impost bands sit each side at pilaster base level. The first floor contains a Palladian window with pilasters, cornice, moulded arch and keystone, with brackets under the sill at cornice level matching the imposts of the outer windows. The central window contains eight large panes, while the side lights have three narrow panes each.

The four-bay sides feature long two-light arched windows with moulded arches, impost bands and sill bands. The first bay of the left side has flanking pilasters; the right side is plain. The rear has two arched windows.

An almost detached schoolroom to the left connects via a short link towards the rear. Both are stuccoed. The schoolroom has a door with a window above and windows on each side, all arched, and three arched windows on the left side wall.

Interior

The chapel contains three-sided galleries with curved angles. The painted grained front features fine contrasted tones with a cornice running beneath long horizontal panels containing inset panels and arch-panelled pilasters for division. Paired brackets sit under each pilaster. Nine cast-iron columns support the galleries. Painted grained box pews occupy three blocks, with outer ones facing inward and raked, all featuring panel backs in contrasted browns. The galleries have similarly painted grained raked pews. An organ by Peter Conacher & Co of Huddersfield is installed. The ceiling has a deep coved border and boarded centre diagonally ribbed to a large plaster rose with floral centre and four moulded rims.

The set fawr (gallery front) features a balustraded rail with curved angles and newels topped with Jacobean-style finials. Rails connect to the foot of curving baluster stairs on each side of the pulpit, which have similar newels. The pulpit front is similarly balustraded in a complex curved form, with short serpentine curves on each side, a newel, and a broad curved front incorporating a solid centre panel and book rest. Some stencil decoration appears in a band below, with a panelled base beneath. A large plaster arch stands behind, featuring panelled piers, console brackets and a moulded arch with keystone, topped by a gabled stucco hoodmould. Long windows on each side contain mid-twentieth-century patterned coloured glass. The lobby has similar glass of after 1950, with canted sides and double doors.

The vestry and schoolroom has a boarded ceiling with plaster border and pierced timber corner vents. A stage is partitioned at one end, while two small classrooms divided by an entrance lobby with a full-height glazed screen sit at the other.