Description

CHIPPENHAM

ST9273SW EMERY LANE
930-1/10/28 United Reform Church and former
22/06/78 Minister's House
(Formerly Listed as:
EMERY LANE
United Reform Church)

II

United Reform Church. Dated 1825 and 1904. Minister's house
mid C19.

CHAPEL: squared and coursed limestone with plain freestone
dressings, hipped slate roof. Rectangular plan with higher
1904 block to the rear.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; originally symmetrical 3-window range now
with a mid C19 porch and extension to front left. Parapet,
cornice, platband and plinth. A central pediment has an
inscription in the tympanum "Tabernacle first erected in 1770.
Rebuilt in the year 1825". Fixed leaded 2-light windows; that
under the pediment has a semicircular arch and pointed-arched
lights, that to the ground-floor right has a transom with 3
similar windows to the ground floor of each return and pointed
arches to the lights of the 1st-floor windows above them. The
mid C19 ashlar porch, (a lean-to from the platband), has a
cornice and blocking course, double 3-panel doors, and a
4-pane window to the right. The window to the left is covered
by the left-hand front extension.
The block to the rear is limestone rubble to the ground floor
and English-bond brick to the 1st floor, probably hightened in
1904 to accommodate the organ.
INTERIOR: the stone-flagged porch gives onto stairs to each
side, in tongued-and-grooved lobbies at the base, and with
stick balusters and turned newels at gallery level. The tiered
gallery, supported by cast-iron columns, has original pews and
a modillion cornice.
The interior was altered c1904 in a late C19 style when the
rear wall was opened with a semi-elliptical arch to give
access to the organ which is on the 1st floor of the rear
block; an inverted segmental arch to the base of the opening
is fronted by a parapet with large patera in ornate recesses.
Below, a dais and steps with turned balusters and newels flank
a pulpit with trefoil heads to 3 panels. Tongued-and-grooved
panelling up to a dado rail surrounds the ground floor. The
gallery front has a dentilled cornice; recessed panels with
recessed trefoils and a modillion cornice to the base.

MINISTER'S HOUSE: Flemish-bond brick with limestone ashlar
facade, slate roof with truncated stack to the left gable end.
Double-depth plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 2-window range. 6/6-pane sash windows,
platband, and a semi-elliptical arched carriage entrance (now
blocked) to the right with the edge roll inscribed
"Congregational Church". A small 6/6-pane sash window is to
the far right. The left return has a 6/6-pane sash window to
both floors. The house is now connected to the chapel by a
block which covers most of the left-hand range of the
building.
INTERIOR: not inspected.

Listing NGR: ST9226273337

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26558475

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)