| Description | Upper Needless, Wadsworth.
'Former meeting house and day school connected with the General Baptist movement which now forms dwellings. Mid C18. Thin coursed stone, ashlar quoins, stone slate roof. 3 storey gable fronts road. Wide gabled porch has doorway with tie stone jambs and arched window with chamfered surround. Over apex of porch is former 2 light window with another to 2nd floor. Inscribed plaque reads: 'ORIGINAL MEETING HOUSE OF BIRCHCLIFFE BAPTIST CHURCH, FOUNDED BY REV DAN TAYLOR, and OTHERS, A.D.1763'
Gable stack. Left hand return wall has evidence of former outside stair rising to 1st floor door entry with tie stone jambs, now blocked to form window. Right hand return wall has 5 light chamfered mullioned window with same over to 1st and 2nd floors (both lacking 2 mullions). One other stack to ridge. The attached 2 storey building to rear, with lower roofline, has paired doorways with chamfered surround, with, to either side, former 6 light chamfered mullioned windows. Over doorways is dated plaque inscribed ' L J H Harwood 1 7 5 2 '. Coped gable with kneelers and stack.
Interior of 3 storey house has removable floor boards at pulpit end to enable people on different floors to see the preacher'.
(English Heritage listed building description. Date listed 21/06/1984. http://list.english heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1230442. Web site accessed 07/11/2013). |