Listed Building record MDR13023 - Melbourne Baptist Church, Chapel Street, Melbourne

The General Baptists have a handsome chapel in Melbourne that seats 700 persons [1857]. (1) There is a General Baptist Chapel situated here on the 1st edition 25" OS map of c. 1880. (2) The General Baptist Chapel was erected in 1750 and enlarged in 1832. It will accommodate about 700 persons. (3) The General Baptist congregation originated in Melbourne in 1747, when the church at Barton in the Beans in Leicestershire first sent itinerant preachers. Like its parent church, Melbourne was originally Independent, but both societies were General Baptist by 1760, when the daughter churches of Barton became autonomous. In 1770, Melbourne was one of the founders of the General Baptist New Connexion. The first chapel was built in 1749-50, with various enlargements in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It is said to have been 'virtually rebuilt' and enlarged in 1832. The walls are of stone with later brickwork, rendered at the front and south side. The roof is slate covered. The east front is gabled, with the lower openings alone remaining recognisable as work of 1750 (or possibly 1768). The side wall to the north, where exposed behind the adjacent buildings, has 18th century masonry to the lower half. The interior was entirely refitted in 1832 and later. It has a gallery around three sides. (4) A grade II listed Baptist Church dating to 1750. It was enlarged in 1832, with minor later alterations. It is built of rendered brick, simulated to look like ashlar, with painted stone dressings and rusticated rendered quoins. It has a slate roof with stone coped gables on plain kneelers. It is of three bays by three bays, with a lower bay to the west. The main elevation to the east is gabled and has a plain first floor sill band and a similar band at eaves level. To the ground floor there is a central 18th century Venetian window with a narrow central light, now blocked, and side lights with fixed 20th century windows filled with coloured glass, each with keystones to the top. To the top of the central light there is an attractive 19th century lamp bracket. To either side there are 18th century doorcases with raised fillets to the outer edges and raised keystones. Each doorcase has a panelled door. Above there are three fixed pane windows below rusticated wedge lintels with keystones. Above again, in the gable, there is a central stone plaque on plain consoles, inscribed 'General Baptist Chapel, Erected 1750, enlarged 1832'. Just above this is a small moulded circular window. See list description for more details. (5)