United Reformed Church, Maldon (EHER 38445)

A former independent chapel, now a United Reformed Church, built in 1801. It was enlarged with galleries in 1811 and 1835, refronted in around 1860; and further works including the renewal of the pews and gallery, and addition of vestry to the east end, took place in around 1876. It is timber framed, pargeted, with a stucco and stone facade in classical style. The roof is covered in concrete tiles. The building is two storeys with five bays and six-bay flanks.

October 1951. Grade II listed. An independent chapel, now a United Reformed Church, built in 1801. It was enlarged with galleries in 1811 and 1835, refronted in around 1860; and further works including the renewal of the pews and gallery, and addition of vestry to the east end, took place in around 1876. It is timber framed, pargeted, with a stucco and stone facade in classical style. The roof is covered in concrete tiles. The building is two storeys with five bays and six-bay flanks. The ground floor has an ashlar portico and the triple entrances within have panelled doors under rectangular fanlights in moulded architraves, with a double-leaf door to the centre. The first floor has three shallow round-arched recesses containing round-arched windows with margin glazing. There are steps to the side bays, containing stairs to the gallery. Internally, the gallery is on all four sides. There is a set of numbered pews with semicircular bench ends and a raised platform for a table with side benches. The raised pulpit is approached by steps with an iron balustrade. The founder of the Independent congregation in Maldon was Joseph Billio who raised the first chapel on the same site at his own expense in 1696. It was from his vigorous preaching style that the expression 'like Billio' derived. The new chapel was built under Revd Stephen Forster at a cost of over £2,000. <1> See photos <2>. NRHE data transfer: Former Presbyterian chapel, now United Reformed Church, built in Classical style in 1801, enlarged with galleries 1811 and 1835, refronted in around 1860. Renewal of pews and gallery and addition of vestry to east end in around 1876. Timber framed, pargeted, with stucco and stone facade and concrete-tile roof. The chapel was preceded by a Presbyterian chapel in 1696 on the same site. <3>