Baptist Chapel, Melton Mowbray

The old Baptist Chapel in Melton Mowbray dates to the 1870s and encapsulates the heyday of English nonconformity. Few would describe its exterior as dour or glum; even ‘plain’ would demand justification. I am rather pleased that the congregation did not opt for gothic which seems so out of keeping with the more dedicated Protestantism of English dissent. The town’s Baptists now seem to meet in more modern premises elsewhere, and this chapel now belongs to the Vineyard Church, though they describe it as their ‘town centre home’, while meeting for Sunday worship in a more spacious college. Whatever the current musical styles or theological emphases to which it plays host, this building seems to be a charming throwback to better days. Yet buildings come and go, styles wax and wane: only the gospel itself is a constant.