Monmouth Baptist Church

Monmouth Baptist Church stands in Monk Street, Monmouth, a small town in south-east Wales. The present building opened in 1907, replacing an earlier chapel that had served the congregation since 1818. In 1998 the church was recognised as a Grade II listed building. Its architect, Benjamin Lawrence of Newport, chose Old Red Sandstone for the walls and Bath Stone for the details. The porch’s stained glass dates from 1964. The congregation began in 1818 after visiting ministers helped establish it. For a time it met in a small building off Monnow Street. In 1831 the first pastor arrived and in 1836 the room was enlarged into a chapel. Later the chapel became derelict and was demolished to clear space for a supermarket car park. Visitors find a plain Gothic façade of warm sandstone under a steep slate roof. Inside, the simple worship space is lit by clear windows and the 1964 porch glass. The building sits beside the former Working Men’s Institute, also designed by Lawrence in the same style. Monk Street itself is a quiet side road a short walk from Monmouth’s main streets.