9917

 

II*  

Designated  

05/12/1963  

15/10/1997  

Capel Gwynfil  

 

Ceredigion  

Llangeitho  

Tregaron  

Llangeitho  

262042  

259792  

 

Situated some 200m NE of centre of Llangeitho, on E side of road.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Calvinistic Methodist chapel of 1813-5, remodelled 1861-3 by John Lumley of Aberystwyth. One of the historic centres of Welsh Methodism. Daniel Rowland (1713-90) built his first chapel in 1760 while still curate of Llangeitho, and his second in 1764 when ejected from the curacy. Rowland was one of the founders of Welsh Methodism, and during his long lifetime in Llangeitho, the village became the centre of a religious movement of extraordinary power. 1760 chapel is said to have been of clom and thatch 9 m (30') x 5.4 m (18'), 1764 chapel was 12.6 m square (45' square) with double roof and line of 4 stone pillars, two doors in each pine end. Pulpit was entered only from outside and communion table lowered on pulleys. 1813-15 building was 18 m x 10.8 m (60' x 36') and had two doors in NE front and one in NW end. There were no pews in centre ground floor and gallery was higher. Flagstones in lobby are said to come from 1764 chapel.  

Unpainted roughcast with slate hipped roof. Paired brackets to eaves. Stucco plain surrounds to openings and ground floor band at impost level. Originally lateral fronted, but in 1861 altered to entry through pine end. E front two-storey, three-window range with three ground floor arched windows, one similar to first floor centre, and shorter cambered-headed two-light timber-mullion window each side. Arched windows have Y-tracery and all windows have marginal glazing bars to each light. Two-window N entrance front has two similar cambered-headed upper windows and two arched doorways with similar Y-tracery to fanlights over 4-panel doors. S end, built into bank, has two similar arched windows and hipped centre porch giving access to pulpit. W rear wall has similar windows to E front, 3-window range, but all upper windows are cambered-headed.  

All of 1861-3, though deep coved ceiling and acanthus and guilloche centre rose may be of 1815. Three-sided gallery on 10 plain iron columns. Gallery has canted angles, bracket cornice and long raised plain flat panels with quadrant rebated corners. Grained panelled box pews in centre double block and two side blocks. Raked gallery pews. Plain great seat with curved ends. High pulpit platform with steps up each side, blind balustrade with curving top rail each side of arched-panelled pulpit front with bulbous columns set in angles. Plaster arch behind with 3-panel door to rear porch.  

Listed as grade II* for its historic connection with Daniel Rowland, and as an unusually large chapel for 1813-15 with good interior of 1861-3.