Baptist Chapel, including Sunday School forecourt railings & gates.

Cadw's description

Location

Set back in broad forecourt, just E of Fountain Square.

Exterior

1875 Baptist Chapel in Italianate classical style, unpainted stucco with painted mouldings and front porch. Broad pedimented front with keyed roundel in pediment, long arched side windows, fine Roman Doric pedimented porch and triplet of arched windows over. Porch is broad with paired columns each side, pilaster responds, full entableture and pediment, and is raised on 3 steps. Double doors with stained glass overlight. Windows are in moulded surrounds with keystones. Long outer windows and centre window of triplet have timber centre mullion and traceried heads while the outer lights of triplet are shorter and narrower single lights. All windows have attractive early C20 patterned stained glass.

Three-window sides and 2-window end wall with similar long arched windows. Matching end-wall pediment. Attached and set back, to right, is later Sunday School with pedimented door and arched windows each side. Forecourt is enclosed by unusually handsome spearhead iron rails on low slate-coped rubble walls. Matching gates with overthrow between cast-iron panelled piers. Rubble stone piers each end capped by cast-iron palmette.

Interior

Fine interior, galleried on 3 sides, on 3 x 3 cast-iron columns with Gothic capitals. Plaster rosettes to beam above, then plastered cove below panelled timber gallery front with arched panels. Gallery angles are rounded. Flat ceiling with moulded cornice, oval centre and 5 roses. Fine panelled pulpit with curving steps up, rounded angles, patterned front panel and high arched back panel in ornate carved frame with heavily moulded cornice and scrolled pediment.