Description

BOMERE HEATH C.P. BERWICK ROAD (west side)
SJ 41 SE
SJ 4732 1482
10/80 Berwick Chapel
13.6.58
GV II*

Chapel. Dated 1670, built at the expense of Sir Samuel Jones; tower
added, part of south wall rebuilt and porch probably added in 1735, for
Thomas Powys, and chancel, transepts and vestry added in 1892-4 by Mr.
Walker, at the expense of Mr. J. Watson. Grey sandstone ashlar with
plain tile roofs. Nave with south porch, west tower, chancel, transepts
with west porches, and north-east vestry. 1892-4 work in a C17 revival
style. Tower: 4 stages. Corner pilaster strips, chamfered plinth,
floor bands, frieze and cornice to third stage, and cornice to plain
parapet with coping and tall urns at corners. Pyramidal cap with weather-
vane. Round-arched openings with plain architraves, cills, impost blocks
and keystones; louvres to second stage and belfry. Keyed oculi in
second stage to north and south. Round-arched doorways to south and west,
with plain architraves, impost blocks and keystones; that to west has
formerly-arched late C17 door with decorative panelling (probably former
south door) and that to south is blocked except for fanlight. Nave:
chamfered plinth, moulded stone eaves cornice, and parapeted gable ends
with moulded copings, that to east of 1892-4 with obelisks at feet and
cross at apex. South side: C17 double-chamfered rectangular window to
right (minus mullion and transom) and C18 round-arched window to left with
plain architrave, cill, impost blocks and keystone; probably c.1735
porch off-centre to left with pair of unfluted Doric pilasters supporting
short sections of entablature with triglyph frieze, and continuous moulded
cornice, breaking forward over pilasters, to flat lead roof. Round-arched
doorway with moulded architrave, moulded imposts and keystone; now blocked
except for fanlight with C18 wrought ironwork. North side: raking
buttress to left. Pair of double-chamfered stone cross windows. Small
semi-circular window to right, lighting gallery, and plain oeil-de-boeuf
beneath. Chancel and transepts: chamfered plinth, moulded cill string
course, moulded stone eaves cornice, carried around gable ends as impost
moulding, and parapeted gable ends with moulded copings, obelisks at feet
and crosses at apices. Chancel: round-arched south window of 2 trefoil-
headed lights and pilastered surround with bracketed cill and moulded
architrave. Large round-arched east window of 3 stepped trefoil-headed
lights with radial trefoil-ended tracery, and pilastered surround with
bracketed cill and moulded architrave; keyed elliptical oculus in gable.
South transept has round-arched window of 3 stepped trefoil-headed lights
with radial trefoil-ended tracery, moulded architrave, and keyed ellip-
tical oculus in gable above. Lean-to porch in angle to left with
chamfered Tudor-arched boarded door and 2-light double-chamfered window
with moulded cill to west. North transept has round-arched window of
2 trefoil-headed lights with moulded architrave, and keyed elliptical
oculus in gable above. Integral stone corner stack with moulded cornice.
Chamfered-arched basement door. Lean-to porch in angle to right with
chamfered-arched boarded door. Vestry with chamfered-arched boarded
basement doorway and 2-light chamfered mullioned window with moulded cill
to east. Interior: nave with C18 raised and fielded panelling, C19
moulded cornice, and plastered barrel-vaulted roof. C18 west gallery
with 2 panelled square piers supporting frieze and cornice with panelled
soffit, 3-bay front with raised and fielded panels and panelled dies, and
moulded cornice to top; raked seating. Round archway between gallery
and ringing chamber. C19 cast-iron spiral staircase in tower, up to
ringing chamber. Former south porch with raised and fielded panelling,
dated 1700 (?). Former south door in wall of house with moulded round
archway, C18 door with 8 raised and fielded panels (probably former door
to porch or tower) and dated shield above: "16/80". Blocked porch
doorway with moulded imposts. Large C19 round chancel arch with double
moulded architrave and panelled jambs with fluted imposts and egg and dart
ornament. Panelled chancel and south transept, with egg and dart ornament
to dentil cornice. East end wholly panelled with continuous cornice;
some panels carved with heraldic devices. Round arches to transepts with
fluted imposts. Barrel-vaulted ceiling consisting of moulded ribs with
painted shields at intersections. Fittings: late C17, early C18 and
c .1892-4, many probably by Stevens. C19 wrought-iron altar rails (said
to be C18) with ornamental panels, stanchions and plain moulded wooden rail.
C19 choir stalls. C19 wrought-iron lamp fittings. C19 organ in north
transept with pilasters supporting sections of entablature. C19 eagle
lectern. Late C17 hexagonal wooden pulpit with corner Ionic colonnettes,
and C19 steps and brass reading desk. C18 box pews with raised and
fielded panels and H-hinges. C19 octagonal stone font beneath tower
with 4 marble colonnettes. Rear of late C17 west door with moulded rails,
wrought-iron strap hinges, and old lock. Two hatchments on wall of nave
and 4 hatchments in ringing chamber. C18 black and white stone floor to
nave and encaustic tiles to chancel. C19 stained glass, mainly in eastern
additions. Monuments: tablet to Thomas Jelf Powys Esq. of Berwick (d.28
March 1805) with sarcophogus; tablet to two Powys daughters who died
young in 1814 and 1818 (by Chantrey), relief of two mourning women in front
of a sarcophogus; free-standing figure of a small child reading a book,
on circular pedestal. Carved stone shield set in north of nave. Brass
plaque on chancel arch inscribed: "THIS CHANCEL,/ VESTRY, PORCHES, AND/
ORGAN WERE ERECTED BY / JAMES WATSON, ESQ, 1892-4". There was a chapel
at Berwick in the C13 but its exact location is not known. The chapel
stands in the parkland around Berwick House (q.v.), near to almshouses
(q.v.) also built at the expense of Sir Samuel Jones. B.O.E., pp. 73-4;
D.H.S. Cranage, An Architectural Account of The Churches of Shropshire
(Shrewsbury Volume), pp. 847-8.

Listing NGR: SJ4732314823

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17551097

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)