First Free Will Baptist Church and Vestry warrant a dedicated sanctuary, which was built in 1834. Details of its original form are sketchy, because it underwent a series of alterations to both its exterior and interior between 1872 and 1915. These rendered the building into one that is essentially entirely Late Victorian in character, with arched stained glass windows, shingling in the tower stages, and other features reflective of that period. The old vestry was built about 1835, and is typical of period academy buildings. This one was used to house a school and the vestry, the latter use in exchange for its siting on church-owned land.
Vestry all inhabitant rate-paying householders in a parish, in the 17th century the huge growth of population in some parishes, mostly urban, made it increasingly difficult to convene and conduct meetings. Consequently, in some of these a new body, the select vestry, was created. This was an administrative committee of selected parishioners whose members generally had a property qualification and who were recruited largely by co-option. This took responsibility from the community at large and improved efficiency, but over time tended to lead to governance by a self-perpetuating elite. This committee was also known as the "close vestry", whilst the term