18194

 

II  

Designated  

04/02/1997  

04/02/1997  

Capel Adfa with forecourt railings  

 

Powys  

Dwyriw  

 

Adfa, Llanwyddelan  

306023  

301098  

 

The chapel is prominently sited in the centre of Adfa village.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Capel Adfa, the earliest Calvinistic Methodist chapel in the area, is said to have been built c 1790 for the society of Llanllugan and Llanwyddelan. Of primary influence was Lewis Evan (1719-1792), a well known preacher and exhorter of Calvinistic Methodism, who lived in Llanllugan. The chapel is said to have been rebuilt or extended c 1820 and a gallery added. The chapel is shown on a map of 1821 and appears as today, except for a small rear extension built between 1843 and 1886. The facade of the school room was originally half-timbered and it functioned as a Day school until 1879 when a Board school opened. It continued in use as a Sunday School.  

Capel Adfa is a massive structure consisting of 3 parts: A galleried chapel, a 3-storey caretaker's house with cellar to the W, and a school room and stables to the E. Constructed of rubble masonry which is rendered and white-washed to the S and E, and slate hung to the W. Slate roofs and 2 rendered brick stacks, one at W end and one to W of school room. Traditional lateral entry style chapel. The front (S) elevation is symmetrical and all the openings are under round heads. There are 2 doors, one at each end, panelled and moulded, with an overlight containing Y-shaped glazing bars. Between, are 2 tall windows each with wooden Y-shaped glazing bars under the head and 12 panes below. 2 similar, but shorter windows are located under the roof line close to the doors in order to light the gallery. The rear has 6 small pane, cast iron windows under round arched heads, 3 to the gallery and 3 below. 2 small lean-to structures towards the W. The school room and stable block is a lean-to to the E end, although it is almost certainly contemporary with the chapel. It has a half-hipped roof with cusped barge boards and a central gablet. The E facade was originally timber-framed. The school room is entered from the S via masonry steps bounded by iron railings. Plain planked door under a round arch with overlight. The E facade has 2 modern casement windows at first floor level, and there is a small cast iron 4-pane window on the N side under a round arch with voussoirs. Below the school room are 2 stables entered from the E. The doors, at the N side of each stable, are modern and there is a small light to the S of each one. A brick pier abuts the SE corner of the stables, probably for structural reasons. The caretaker's house is at the W end with a plain planked door on the S side under a round arch with overlight. There are 3 modern casement windows, probably in earlier openings, one to each storey. To the rear, the house projects slightly from the chapel, and there is a rear planked door. There are two 4-pane cast iron windows, 1 to the ground and 1 to the first floor.  

Galleried interior with pulpit and sêt fawr located on S (lateral) side. The gallery is supported by 6 narrow cast iron columns with a moulded, plaster cornice supporting a panelled and decorated wooden frontage. It is accessed from 2 staircases, one in each rear corner, and there are 3 rows of pews. On the lower level there are 6 rows of pews with moulded chamfered bench ends, and further pews at right angles towards the front. The pulpit is ornately carved in late C19 style and includes recessed lancet-shaped panels and decorated newel post heads. The detail includes ornate plaster ceiling roses and coving, and wood panelling to the lower levels of the walls. Concealed king-post roof structure constructed from round posts. The school room has wood panelling to the lower levels. The S stable is particularly well preserved and retains its 3 stalls, tethering rings, manger, hay rack and cobbled floor with drainage gully. The caretaker's house has a living room, kitchen and wash house to the rear. A large attic room at the top was apparently used for Sunday School tea parties. The chapel has a narrow forecourt bounded by iron railings on a stone plinth.  

The chapel is listed because of its impressive scale and its well preserved, unusual plan-form including house, school room and stables. The quality of the interior is high, and the building has important historical association with the Calvinistic Methodist preacher, Lewis Evan, whose memorial is located in the forecourt.