Summary

A former Baptist chapel with integral dwelling, of 1787 with alterations of 1860 for use as a school and of 1922 as a memorial institute, and attached former chapel of 1860, all in buff sandstone. The 1860 chapel and alterations were designed by Rev Thomas Horsfield of Brierley, in Italianate style.

The single-storey C20 link between the 1860 chapel and the former Baptist schools of 1872 is not included in the listing.

Description

A former Baptist chapel with integral dwelling, of 1787 with alterations of 1860 for use as a school and of 1922 as a war memorial institute, and added chapel of 1860 (in 2025, all disused). The 1860 chapel and alterations were designed by Rev Thomas Horsfield of Brierley.

MATERIALS: buff sandstone, stone flag roof to original chapel (currently removed) and slate roof to 1860 chapel, with a mix of timber and iron windows.

PLAN: forming part of a group with a strong presence on Colne Road (formerly Burnley Lane). L-plan formed by the original range on an east-west axis incorporating the dwelling at its east end, with the 1860 chapel as a projecting cross-wing at the west end.

EAST RANGE

EXTERIOR: this is of equal height along its length, comprising three storeys in the dwelling forming the eastern bay (2 Hebrew Road), and two storeys in the two bays to the west (former chapel/school/institute). The stone is watershot, with tooled square-cut surrounds to the openings, moulded stone gutter corbels, rusticated quoins on the south-east angle and tooled ashlar quoins to the north-east angle. The roof (removed at the time of inspection, along with a short eaves chimney stack at the east end) was hipped.

The south façade has a plat band over the ground floor and a first-floor impost band. The two-bay western part is symmetrical. To the ground floor this has tall square-headed outer doorways (currently boarded, but previously with a nine-panel door with glazed top panels, and a square overlight) with impost stones, with four windows between (the middle pair taller). The first floor has four round-headed windows with iron glazing bars and keystones, above the outer doorways and the middle ground-floor windows (the centre pair with lower sills). In the centre, above the plat band is a triangular-headed datestone (probably re-set) with raised surround, incised swan-neck scrolls and lettering ‘EBENEZER/ ERECTED/ 1787’. A re-set datestone between the central ground-floor windows also has a raised surround, and incised curlicues and decorative lettering reading ‘SABBATH & DAY/ SCHOOL./ A.D. 1845’. The eastern bay (former dwelling) has a ground floor with an inserted two-light mullioned window and a projecting single-storey extension of around 1900, and one rectangular window on each upper floor, both breaking the plat bands.

The east façade to Hebrew Road, is of two unequal bays. The entrance is at the right, with a low, eared squared surround, (currently boarded, but previously with a nine-panel door with glazed top panels, matching those of the south façade). To the left are stacked two-light mullioned windows, and an offset second-floor window. Immediately to the left are a smaller ground-floor window, matching first-floor mullioned window, and a higher-set second-floor window; the rest of the façade to the left is blind. At the right is a stone chimney stack, set back on the dividing wall between dwelling and chapel.

The north facade has square stone gutter corbels. It is largely blind to the dwelling at the left but has one second-floor window. The former chapel has two first-floor windows with squared surrounds with impost stones, and eight-pane vertical sashes. At the ground floor towards the west end is a blocked former opening, now largely obscured by lean-to additions in stone and brick.

INTERIOR: the chapel/school/institute now has no features, but some of the planform remains in the former dwelling.

1860 CHAPEL

EXTERIOR: Italianate style. The principal façade faces south, standing forward of and slightly taller than the east range. It is pedimented and symmetrical, with heavily rusticated quoins to the angles, stained-glass margin panes to all the glazing, and moulded labels below all the sills. The first floor has four round-headed windows with pilaster jambs, moulded heads with keystones, and pedimented architraves with enriched consoles. The ground floor has two central segmental-headed sashed windows with shouldered and lugged moulded architraves with double keystones (and geometrical glazing bars to the upper lights). These are flanked by doorways with moulded arched heads with keystones, pilastered architraves with plain friezes and moulded cornices, and panelled doors with fanlights. The closed pediment contains a wreath and banner with raised lettering reading ‘GENERAL /BAPTIST /CHAPEL /ANNO DOMINI /MDCCCLX’.

The east and west walls of watershot squared stone with moulded gutter corbels have square-headed windows at the ground floor and round-headed above (three on the east, five on the west), all with squared surrounds and impost stones, and glazing matching the front windows. The northern ground-floor window of the west wall has two lights. The north-west angle is quoined and the gable is coped. To the left is a slightly lower outshot (number 1 Brief St) of similar appearance. Its eaves slope down to the south, and it has stacked small square-headed windows at the left and a round-headed window over an inserted opening with roller shutter. Its north wall is mostly obscured by the neighbouring house (3 Brief Street) and is stepped, with coped gables and a wide ridge stack. It has similar windows to its east return. The north wall of the chapel has a round-headed window to the east of the outshot.

The south end of the western ground floor is obscured by the C20 link* (not included in the listing) to the former school (separately listed).

INTERIOR: the chapel retains its plaster cornicing and ceiling with decorative ventilated ceiling roses including a large central rose. At the north end the organ-loft opening is flanked by pilasters and also has pilaster-jambs and corbelling to the lintel. A solid floor slab has been inserted and there is some modern partitioning.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the boundary with Colne Road comprises a regular-coursed wall of around 1860, of hammer-dressed stone, with twice-weathered copings. At the north and south ends are pedestrian gateways with wrought-iron gates, and in front of the 1860 chapel is a wider gateway, without gates. All the gateways have decorative square stone gateposts with stepped pyramidal caps.

*Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the single-storey C20 link between the 1860 chapel and the adjacent former church school is not of special architectural or historic interest. However any works which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require listed building consent and this is a matter for the local planning authority to determine.

History

The Ebenezer Baptist Chapel was built in 1787, for a congregation of the new connexion of General Baptists. For the previous ten years the congregation had met in a room above the back-to-back cottages across the road. Baptisms were held in the River Brun, near Dawson Square. An illustration of the chapel in 1822 shows that it was gabled, with a two-storey dwelling with attic at the east end, and two-storey chapel to the west with small doors and windows. The west end was altered in 1843 for school use, and then truncated by around three metres in 1845, when a new cross-range was added for sunday and day schooling.

In 1860 a larger chapel, designed by Rev Thomas Horsfield (1821-1895), replaced the 1845 school cross-range. The C18 chapel became the school, and its eaves were raised and the south facade and east gable altered. The 1845 school’s datestone was reset in the C18 chapel’s rebuilt south wall, below its own 1787 datestone. Rev Horsfield was originally from Halifax and a former minister at the Vale Baptist Chapel in Todmorden. He and his son, Thomas Baptist Horsfield, both later practised as architects (but not apparently in partnership) and moved to Manchester.

A new detached school (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1270969 was built to the south-west in 1872. In 1922 the C18 chapel was converted to a war memorial institute. In the 1960s a narrow link was built between the 1860 chapel and the 1872 school. The name Ebenezer (a Hebrew word meaning stone of help) was retained until 1970, when the chapel merged with the Angle Street and Immanuel Baptist churches and became the Burnley Lane Baptist Church. Around this time the pulpit, organ loft with choir stalls, and former box-pews on the ground floor were removed. The building was listed in 1977.

The main chandelier was removed in 1997. The church closed in 2007 and was sold in 2008, at which time some other fixtures are thought to have been removed (without consent). Around 2011 further unconsented works were carried out, including the removal of a horseshoe gallery on cast-iron columns with composite capitals, the gallery’s original numbered box-pews, and the ornate pendant electric lights over the gallery, adapted from original gas-light fittings, as well as a panelled dado with plain vertical timber boarding beneath. In April 2019 the original chapel and house, which was being used for storage, suffered a fire which destroyed much of the roof structure and interior. The remaining roof structure was taken down after some recording. In 2025, the whole building is disused.

Reasons for Listing

The Former Ebenezer Baptist Chapels, a General Baptist chapel of 1860 and altered chapel and minister’s house of 1787, are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* the chapel of 1860 is of good quality externally for its period, in particular in the elaborate detailing of its south facade but also to its side returns, with surrounds and decorative glazing bars to windows throughout;

* a strong contribution is made by the surviving features of the late-C18 building (including two datestones), and its harmonious 1860 alterations, which retain much of the early character and manifest the continual growth of the congregation;

* the 1860 chapel’s interest is further enhanced by the survival of some good-quality interior features, including its decorative ceiling with ventolier roses, pilastered organ-loft arch and coloured glass to the margin lights;

* for the association with the architect and former Baptist minister Rev Thomas Horsfield, who also designed Shore Baptist Chapel in Todmorden (NHLE 1230555);

* the external quality is complemented by the survival of the contemporary boundary walls, gateposts and wrought-iron gates.

Group value:
* for its strong historical functional links and architectural unity with the Former Ebenezer Schools of 1872 (NHLE 1270969).

External Links

• Wikidata Q26560967

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.

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