Monument record WLP 013 - Walpole Old Chapel, Halesworth Road

Congregational chapel, the core built originally as a dwelling. Probably mid C16 core, said to have been first used as a chapel in 1647; extended to rear c.1700. Timber framed and plastered, some red brick casing to the left hand gable end; double-span roof, mainly plaintiled. 2 windows, various mullioned casements; 2 4-panel doors. To the right hand gable end is a good C16 7-light moulded mullioned window with carved lintel, and to the left hand gable end a further mullioned window with diamond-leaded glass. At the rear are 2 large semi-circular headed windows of c.1700 with square-leaded panes; some of the glass is original. The valley roof is supported internally by 3 circular timber columns (2 of them in 2 stages), said to be ships' masts. There is a tiered gallery on 3 sides supported on square columns and on one side by 2 barleysugar wrought iron posts. Brick floor. The furnishings and fittings are largely late C18/early C19. Good hexagonal pulpit, the tester with an ogee roof with a ball finial; C18 6-branched candalabrum; panelled entrance lobbies. 11 box pews on the ground floor, the remaining seating comprising simple benches (S1).
2000: The early phases of this building could not be dated as few timbers contained sufficient numbers of rings and the majority were rejected prior to sampling. A single oak timber from the roof was shown to have been felled in the late-eighteenth century or later. A large circular ?mast' supporting the elm valley-beam was found to be softwood. It has been suggested that it could be re-used from a ship, but further study of its profile is needed to confirm this (S2).