Description

1065/0/10007 BATHWICK CEMETERY ROAD
09-APR-08 ANGLICAN CEMETERY CHAPEL, ST MARY'S CH
URCHYARD

II
An Anglican cemetery chapel, dating from 1855-6, designed by Thomas Fuller (1823-1898).

MATERIALS: The building is constructed from limestone ashlar with limestone dressings, set under a Welsh slate roof.

PLAN: A single rectangular cell, oriented east-west.

EXTERIOR: The building is Early English in style, a high single storey with stepped buttresses. The west end has a central pointed arched entrance doorway, with the arch springing from two orders of columns with stiff leaf capitals, and a chevron moulding. The double plank doors are ledged and braced, and externally have elaborate and decorative wrought iron hinges extending across much of their area. In the gable end above the doorway is a small bulls-eye window with a moulded surround, and there is a gabled bellcote at the apex. The return elevations are of three bays, each with a single lancet window; the east end has a triple lancet window. The gables have moulded and carved kneelers.

INTERIOR: The interior is very plain, with the ashlar left unplastered. There are vestiges of texts painted to either side of the east window. The building retains an interesting scissor-braced roof, the trusses rising from moulded corbels.

HISTORY: Bathwick or Smallcombe Cemetery, the Anglican portion of which is also known as St Mary's Churchyard, was laid out in two phases, in 1856 and 1861. The site is an isolated and intimate one, despite its proximity to the city centre; it is surrounded by farmland and commands view across the city. The eastern end is bounded by a coped wall with two gateways with tall, stepped piers. There are two chapels, the Anglican chapel of 1855-6 by Thomas Fuller, and the nearby Nonconformist chapel designed by A S Goodridge and built in c.1860-1. The cemetery includes several notable memorials, and, the poet A E Housman and the architect J Elkington Gill are buried in the grounds. The Anglican cemetery chapel dates from the first phase of development, 1855-6; its foundation stone was laid on 9 May 1855. The building was made redundant in 1992.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION:
The Anglican cemetery chapel at St Mary's Churchyard is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* The building is a well-preserved and picturesque example of a mid-C19 cemetery chapel
* It is an elegant and well-proportioned chapel by a recognised architect, Thomas Fuller, who designed other listed buildings in the area
* The building is largely unaltered since its completion in 1856, and retains its interesting scissor-braced roof structure intact
* The chapel is intimately connected with its setting, playing a pivotal role in the landscape design of the cemetery

Reasons for Listing

The Anglican cemetery chapel at St Mary's Churchyard has been listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* The chapel is a well-preserved and picturesque example of a mid-C19 cemetery chapel
* It is an elegant and well-proportioned chapel by a recognised architect, Thomas Fuller, who designed other listed buildings in the area
* The building is largely unaltered since its completion in 1856, and retains its interesting scissor-braced roof structure intact
* The chapel is intimately connected with its setting, playing a pivotal role in the landscape design of the cemetery

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671738

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

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)