13128

 

II*  

Designated  

30/06/1993  

23/12/1996  

Bethesda Welsh Independent Chapel  

 

Rhondda Cynon Taff  

Pentre  

Pentre  

Ton Pentre  

297096  

195376  

S  

Situated on an island site within the grid pattern of the neighbouring streets in this central area of Ton Pentre just W of the river and railway crossing and adjacent to the churchyard of St John Ystradyfodwg.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Founded in 1877 as Maendy Hall to the designs of Revd William Jones and built by David E Morgan of Ton; rebuilt in 1906 to the designs of W D Morgan, son-in-law of Revd William Jones, by Hughes and Sterling at a cost of £4300. No longer in use as a Chapel but currently under repair and to be used for community purposes.  

Built of rock-faced sandstone, coursed and snecked with richly applied ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roof with decorative ridge tiles and finials. Baroque in style, the design is stepped forward towards the 3 window centre which is pedimented with the principal classical detail being picked out in red sandstone. Pediment contains an inscription 'Capel y Annibynwyr' with dated frieze. Below the bays are pilastered, Corinthian to the gallery with added carved figureheads and Doric to the ground floor. Gallery has round headed windows with nook shafts; segmental headed ground floor windows with bracketed sills and channelled surrounds; all have prominent moulded keystones and coloured glass. Foundation stones over the plinth - all dated 1907 not 1906 as inscribed at top. Flanking this central section the bays are individually stepped back and have balustraded parapets and quoins which wrap round the corner. The most distinctive features are the Gibbsian surrounds to the round-headed inner gallery windows and the bullseye windows to the corner-sited gallery staircases. Entrances are unusally at the corners reached by stone steps with deeply recessed 6 panelled doors, segmental pediments and 'Bethesda' inscribed friezes. The facade returns around the corner with 3 round headed gallery level windows with keystones grouped under an open pediment with attic roundel; paired round-headed windows to ground floor, all margin glazed sashes. Set back to either side are 5 window side elevations with cornices and similar sash windows, square headed to gallery, round headed below. On both sides the building projects forward again at rear where there is a large transverse and hipped roofed hall range with tall round headed windows to ground floor and square headed above with segmental headed entrance door right with separate inscription stone, date illegible. Chapel is bordered to front by a rock-faced stone wall with high piers with cross gabled copings and decorative iron railings and gates; to side right only gate piers and gate survive.  

Grand galleried interior on 4 sides. 7 bay ceiling to main body of chapel with alternating roses and ventilators and deep coving, the bays formed by arched timber braces springing from above the columns at gallery level; the 6 bay side gallery flat ceilings have similarly alternating ventilators and roses within coffered divisions. The steeply raked gallery is distinctive in having a segmentally arched arcade with round cast iron columns with foliated capitals and octagonal abaci; gallery front is panelled with volute brackets defining each bay and is carried on fluted cast iron columns with foliage capitals; columns cast by Walker and Company Iron Foundry. Richly grained and polished wood pulpit with decorative inlaid panels, scroll-ended sides to each seat, and flanking balustraded steps; panelled front to set fawr; large organ above. Ground floor raked to rear and some pews curved to sides; pews are all panelled; planked dado has painted frieze above; brackets for gas lamps on walls; woodblock floor. Windows have some coloured glass incorporating Art Nouveau motifs; gallery windows have hood moulds.  

Listed for its special interest as a well preserved and unusally well detailed turn-of-the century chapel. Group value with adjacent Maindy and Eastern Workmen's Institute and Hall.