Conservation Area (CA)
Valley Gardens CA
Local Listing Reference
LLHA0074
Description
Knapped flint Baptist church with terracotta dressings. 1903 by George Baines & Son, in the Free Perp style characteristic of their work. It replaced the Queens Square Baptist Church, which had been sold to the Union Church. It was damaged by a bomb in October 1944; the damaged likely related to the northern part of the building, which appears from photographs to have been rebuilt to a similar design to the original. Source: Antram & Pevsner 2013, Carder 1990, http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume30/source/jg_30_087.html, http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume30/source/jg_30_082.html
A. Architectural, Design and Artistic Interest
i. Distinctive architectural style, very much characteristic of the Scottish-born architect, but unusual for nonconformist church buildings in the locality.
iv. National architect George Baines & Son specialised in designing Baptist churches in a distinctive Free Perp style. A number of their churches are listed such as Trafalgar Street Evangelical Church, Hull and Bury Park URC, Luton
C. Townscape Interest
i. Within the Valley Gardens Conservation Area, the building is atypical of the area due to its original use, architectural style and striking use of contrasting materials
F. Intactness
i. Despite bomb damage, the design integrity of the church remains intact
Date of Inclusion
Pre-2015
