Bethany Baptist Church

This is a simplified classical style chapel constructed in 1906. It is built of coursed rock-faced stone with lighter freestone dressings, and has a slate roof. The central doorway is gabled and rusticated, with flanking panelled pilasters. The gable is inscribed with the date 1906. A round-headed doorway has replacement double doors and an overlight with coloured glass, and is flanked by small windows featuring coloured glass. A continuous string course runs above the doorway surround. Above the doorway is a Venetian window, below which is an inscription band. Lower stair towers, brought forward, are faced with ashlar quoins and have plain parapets. The lower tier of windows have segmental heads, while the upper tier has lintels under triangular hood moulds.

The left-hand side wall features a stair tower with similar windows to the front, and a round-headed window with a brick surround to the roughcast basement. The remainder of the left side wall is slightly set back and has renewed render painted cream, with five renewed windows in segmental-headed openings, the upper level being shorter. The basement, below an offset, has similar windows and a doorway at the left end. The right-hand side is similar but has only two basement windows. Beyond these, towards the rear, is a two-window projection under a pent roof retaining sash windows, with a lean-to in front containing a doorway. The rear of the chapel has a narrow central lean-to housing the organ.

The vestibule features a decorative tile floor, and open-well stairs to the gallery on the right and left. The gallery fronts have fretwork balusters and square newels. A glazed panel opposite the main doorway has Art-Nouveau influenced glass, and is flanked by half-lit panelled doors to the main chapel with similar glass.

The main chapel has a ramped floor. The three-sided gallery is supported by cast iron columns with foliage capitals. The bressumer (gallery beam) is enriched with plaster festoons of fruit and flowers. The cast iron gallery front has open scrolled panels above a frieze of blind pointed quatrefoils. The five-bay roof has segmental arched braces on moulded corbels, collar beams, and diagonal boarding behind. Behind the pulpit is an arched recess (originally housing an organ) with panelled pilasters, a coffered round arch with a keystone, and a pediment with billets. The polygonal pulpit has open fretwork panels and is flanked by ironwork balustrades and steps with arcaded balusters and square newels. A baptistery is located behind the pulpit. The pews are plain with moulded ends, and the deacons’ seat has an open fretwork back.

The basement school room, reached by stairs on the left-hand side of the vestibule, has cast iron columns supporting boxed steel beams.