Rook Lane Chapel - Grade II Listed

Rook Lane Chapel is the most impressive survivor of a group of large non-conformist chapels built in the early 18th century. It is an outstanding example of non-conformist architecture and is the most prominent building in Frome. The chapel was closed by its congregation in 1968 and sold to a developer for conversion to flats in 1973. After passing through several hands it became increasingly derelict and in 1991 was compulsorily purchased by Somerset County Council who passed it on to the Somerset Building Preservation Trust.

At the time of our appointment the building structure was in a very sad state. Internally, nothing remained of the former chapel apart from two Doric stone columns which supported the timber roof structure. On plan, the main walls formed a rectangle 16.5m x 12m. The walls were 700mm thick random rubble masonry and up to 9m high. The walls and columns needed the roof to keep them stable but the roof needed the walls and columns for support: a three-dimensional problem. There had been significant lateral movements at roof level and the columns were considerably out of plumb. The north east wall had also subsided, and there was major decay of roof trusses and tie beams.

Repair and strengthening work had to be executed with minimal disturbance to the existing structure. In the roof, all new strengthening details had to be developed to fit around existing timbers and to effectively tie the structure together. The entablatures, body of the columns, column bases and rubble walls were strengthened using a radial network of resin-grouted injection holes each reinforced with a stainless steel reinforcing bar. A new steel framed and concrete floor gallery structure along the line of the original balcony was inserted into the chapel to provide lateral support to the walls. The ashlar to the front wall was tied back to the rubble stonework after it had been consolidated and bonded, using a cementitious grout injected under controlled conditions using 6mm stainless steel bars. The heads of the bars were recessed below the surface of the ashlar and the stonework pointed to conceal the fixings. After completion of the repair works, the building became the property of Mendip District Council and was then converted into a public art gallery and offices.

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