22760

 

II  

Designated  

06/12/1999  

07/01/2002  

Berachah Presbyterian Church  

 

Pembrokeshire  

Fishguard and Goodwick  

Fishguard  

Goodwick  

194539  

238356  

 

Situated in the centre of Goodwick on the N side of New Hill some 85m from its junction with Station Hill.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Calvinistic Methodist chapel of 1906-7 designed by the Rev William Jones of Pentre, Rhondda, replacing a chapel of 1830. It cost £1,700. The unusual name refers to the Valley of Blessing where Josaphat and the men of Judah rested after being delivered from the forces of Ammon, Moab and Edom (II Chron. 20, 26).  

Chapel, rock-faced coursed brown stone with grey sandstone ashlar dressings, slate roof and red terracotta ridge tiles. Two-storey winged gable front with centre moulded pediment, and narrow wings with parapets, returned windowless on side elevations. Plinth, moulded first floor sill course, outer flush quoins. Raised piers and pilasters flanking centre. Ground floor piers are ashlar with rock-faced stone, upper floor has ashlar pilasters with moulded capitals. Pediment has apex block and iron finial. Wing parapets are ramped up with minimal corbelling below, raised angle blocks and squat square moulded finials. Ashlar blocks beneath angles, also with corbelling. Surrounds are flush ashlar. Gable blank roundel with moulded keystone and curved hood, inscribed 'Berachah'. Big first floor Palladian window with keystone and hoodmould continued flat over sidelights. Small-paned timber windows with moulded mullions, 3-light arched window with square top-lights and leaded lights in arch, narrow 2-light sidelights with top-lights. First floor side windows are arched with keystones and curved hoods. Similar glazing to centre sidelights. Ground floor has similar but shorter arched windows each side and centre arched door with keystone and hoodmould flanked by a small-paned roundel each side also with key and hood, the hoods linked to the door hoodmould. Double boarded doors with 3-light fanlight, marginal glazing bars and coloured glass. Whitewashed stucco side walls, 2-storey, 4-window, with brick eaves, and cambered headed sashes, 4-pane below, the windows above with 8-pane, but the top panes further subdivided into 8 small panes. To right, vestry in rock-faced stone with heavy whitewashed coping to pedimental gable, stucco roundel and stucco triple arch to ground floor, door and 2 windows, all with keystones.  

Boarded three-sided ceiling in 5 bays with ribs off corbels. Five pierced timber round vents. Three-sided gallery with canted angles on 7 Corinthian cast-iron columns, part-fluted. Gallery front in pitch pine has cornice under long panels. Pews in 3 blocks, the side ones canted, some inward-facing each side of pulpit. Fielded panels to backs, and shaped ends. Set fawr has canted angles, panelled back and newels at entries. Pulpit has steps each side with turned balusters, squat balusters over panels to short outer pieces and then projecting canted front of 1-2-1 panels. Panelling to seat in recess with ornate capitals to hoodmould with keystone.  

Included as a well designed early C20 chapel front in the classical/Italianate tradition and retaining a well-designed interior.