Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
10876
Building Number
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
10/01/1991
Date of Amendment
10/01/1991
Name of Property
Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Community
Aberdare West
Town
Aberdare
Locality
Trecynon
Easting
299530
Northing
203509
Street Side
N
Location
Set back from the road at the junction with Mount Pleasant Street. Walled burial ground to the front.
Description
Broad Class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Period
History
This is one of the oldest sites of non-conformity in the valleys and was probably the first place in Wales to preach and adopt the Priestley type of Unitarianism. The meeting house was founded in l751 and was originally known as Ty Cwrdd Godre Hirwaun. In l862 the cottage-like meeting house with its outside stone stairs was rebuilt by Mr Evan Griffiths, architect of Aberdare, to create the present structure. Hen-dy-Cwrdd also founded and ran the Trecynon seminary once famous for its education. The chapel itself had several distinguished ministers.
Exterior
Symmetrical cement rendered gabled front, channelled below gallery windows. Slate roof, ridge cresting boarded eaves and undulating bargeboards with finial. Round attic window; sash glazing below; stringcourse over gallery windows, arched up over semi-circular headed paired central windows with dividing pilaster; flanked by 2 windows to each side, the outer sashes of which are broader; overall sill band, again stepped up to centre. Round arched doorway with broad voussoirs and keystone below inscribed plaque; steps up to panelled double doors and 7-pane fanlight. 6-pane sash windows to either side.
Side elevations have round arched headed gallery windows. Lower cottage attached to left and square headed ground floor windows to right.
Interior
Square interior with gallery around 3 sides. Simple cornice, central rose and octagonal ventilation panels. Unusually deep gallery front with extensively moulded and stained woodwork including central pulvinated band; ramped band beneath with acanthus leaves over the cast iron columns. Semi-circular arched recess with label behind set fawr; steps up to either side with acorn finials to balustrade.
Monument in lobby to Thomas Evans (Minister - 1811-l833) and on gallery stairs one to Edmund Llewellyn (died l829).
Reason for designation
Group value with Nos 37 and 37A.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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