Bethel Independent Chapel including Sunday School to rear.

Bethel Independent Chapel

This is a fine Independent chapel with a commanding pedimented Beaux-Arts façade in ashlar masonry facing north, positioned on a raised terrace accessed by a sweeping path and stairs. The sides and rear are more utilitarian, constructed in red brick and render with a slate roof hidden behind the front parapets.

The front elevation is articulated into three units by great rusticated pilasters, each carrying a shallow strip pilaster with a neo-classical capital. The upper storey of the central unit is again divided into three units of fenestration with engaged Ionic columns carrying an entablature comprising an architrave of three fasciae, a pulvinated frieze bearing the chapel name, and a cornice. This entablature is continued over the outer units. A top balustrade has been lost.

The pediment contains a large Diocletian window with a bold archivolt and keystone linked to a string course. The upper storey central unit has a very large central window with smaller outer sash windows flanking it, each with surrounding architraves capped by tabletted pulvinated friezes and cornices. The outer units and return elevations to east and west contain similar sash windows with surrounding architraves and giant keystones rising to dentilled archivolts, though the windows in the return elevations have been replaced in uPVC. At ground storey, double semi-glazed doors occupy the centre, flanked by circular windows, with double semi-glazed doors in each outer unit. All doors have bold surrounds with four keys and penetrate into a deep plinth, each with a flight of stairs between low side walls (the right staircase has been changed to a ramp). Feature masonry is smooth ashlar whilst common masonry is rock-faced work in small courses.

The side elevations to the rear of the façade block are articulated by red-brick piers into bays, each containing two storeys of windows with stone sills and red-brick jambs and arches. The windows are replaced in uPVC. Irregular annexes at the rear include organ space, a rear porch and a small side vestry with its gable to the street. A retaining wall capped by slag coping is located to the rear of the remaining fragment of Barham House.

The Sunday School building, constructed in 1901, stands across a small internal yard to the south with a two-window front elevation and central door to Bethel Street, rendered with rustication.

The interior of Bethel is organised as an aisled structure. Main entrance doors lead to a vestibule screened from the interior; outer entrance doors lead to lobbies separated from the vestibule by arched aisle openings. The vestibule screen is in pine, glazed full width with art-nouveau obscured and coloured glass, with double doors at each end. Each lobby contains a carved newel staircase in oak leading to the main gallery doors. An additional staircase from the vestry lobby leads to a gallery door beside the organ.

The main interior is divided into a nave and aisles by arcades on each side, carried on two storeys of cast-iron columns produced by W A Baker and Co. of Newport, who also produced the gallery front castings and exterior ironwork. The nave has a barrel ceiling divided into six bays by large segmental ribs, each panel containing a central ventilator and light suspension point, with a bold modillion cornice with hanging colonette-corbels with foliage caps. The arcades comprise five bays with round arches on cast-iron columns also with bulky foliage caps. The aisles have flat ceilings. The organ recess is set in a semicircular arch with a cartouche at top and shallow pilasters.

Main seating comprises four blocks of pews with a staggered centreline and two passageways, all planned on a slight curve facing the pulpit. Gallery seating runs on three sides with a link across to the rear of the pulpit to form an organ loft. Pews at each level are similar, in pine, with a decorative gallery front in painted cast iron in the form of repeating palmettes. The pulpit is wide with twin staircases, a balustraded front with tall newels, and a panelled lower stage. The pulpit centre is advanced and carried on a single timber colonnette bracket. A large font is set one step above the general floor level with detailing similar to the general seating.