24026

 

II  

Designated  

29/09/2000  

28/05/2004  

Capel Soar, rear vestry, front railings and gates  

 

Ceredigion  

Llangynfelyn  

Machynlleth  

Tre'r-ddol  

265948  

292157  

 

Situated at S end of village in railed forecourt.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Wesleyan chapel of 1874-5 replacing the previous chapel of 1845, which remains nearby and is maintained as a museum. This chapel is very much in the round-arched Romanesque-influenced style of Richard Owens of Liverpool, similar for example to his Siloh, Lampeter of 1874, but the building certificates are signed by David Williams of Aberystwyth. Maesglas chapel, Ysbyty Ystwyth, of 1874 has similarities, though much simplified. A gallery was intended but never built, access to have been from stairs in tower.  

Chapel, rubble stone with grey cut stone dressings and some moulded yellow brick. Slate roofs. Gable front in round-arched style with tower and octagonal spirelet to left and hipped wing to right. Foundation stones marked: 'Gosodwyd dydd Nadolig 1874'. All glazing has small panes and coloured glass margins. Coped gable with iron cross finial, the facade below recessed with yellow brick mouldings following gable line and angle piers with flush quoins. Square-cut voussoirs above yellow brick. Ground floor lean-to 3-bay porch with gabled centre, first floor 3 big windows with pilasters between and moulded capitals repeated each side as moulded band, also broken forward over angle piers. Each window is square-headed but with chamfered top corners to allow for pilaster cornices. Above are 3 big plate-traceried grey stone roundels recessed in moulded surrounds, these are unglazed as above internal ceiling height. Centre has punched quatrefoil, the outer ones have 5 holes in a cross pattern. Triple arched head with stone voussoirs and keystones. Above, a plain large roundel with timber louvred 8-pointed star and stone voussoirs over. Porch has small recessed 2-light window each side with centre pilaster, and small-paned glazing with arch heads. Centre has coped gable, iron finial, moulded segmental-headed doorcase with fanlight over double 6-panel doors. Fanlight has marginal coloured glass. Yellow brick chamfered top to plinth. Wings each side are different, but have flush quoins and yellow brick top to plinth. Wing to right has roof hipped at right angles to facade (though wing actually does not project laterally beyond side walls, and marks no special internal function) with yellow brick eaves mouldings (matching the yellow brick on main gable) and has single long arched light with flush quoins, moulded impost band and moulded arch. Small paned windows divided by panelled ashlar piece, the glazing with marginal bars. Tower to left has similar long window but not divided, the head lower and the impost band carried around tower at level of base of centre windows. Small roundel above with broad ashlar surround and yellow brick outer ring, this roundel at level of main facade roundels. Tower is broached to octagonal at gable springing level, with ashlar dressings. Each face has a small louvred rectangular opening, bull-nosed band above, and then plain stonework under moulded brick eaves of steep octagonal slated spirelet. Left side of tower matches. Chapel sides have 5 large full-height arched windows in yellow brick surrounds, and yellow brick moulded eaves. Low single storey vestry to rear, stone and yellow brick with brick end stack. Cast iron cresting to rubble front wall with slate coping, and elaborate scrolled and floriated ironwork to centre gates.  

Large interior without galleries. Plastered walls lined as ashlar with bead-moulded window surrounds. Moulded cornice and ceiling with 5 small roses linked by moulded plaster ribs. Behind pulpit is an unusually large stucco recess with pilaster sides, moulded arch keystone, moulded spandrel panels, full cornice and blocking course above. Numbered pitch pine pews slightly raked towards front, with shaped bench ends and roll-moulded tops. Big set fawr with centre canted outward. Back is panelled in horizontal panels under low turned balustrades with heavy corner newels and ball finials. Ornate platform with similar balusters to steps up each side, the stair rails scrolled right under themselves onto turned newels. Platform has similar short balustrades over panels as set fawr, with newels and ball finials. Projecting pulpit front is heavily arcaded, 2 bays to front, one each side with squat columns, moulded arches and keystones. Carved capitals and small spandrel panels. Arch-headed figured wood panels within each arch, carved brackets to bookrest. Vestry doors each side of set fawr, 6-panel. Memorial plaque to Rev Humphrey Jones 1832-1895, minister here and leading figure in the 1859 Revival. Entrance end has tall blank panels to tower, 3 doors into lobby, 3 large windows above, and narrow superimposed windows to left. Vestry has 3-sided ceiling with exposed trusses and purlins. Boarded dado.  

Included for architectural interest as an elaborate chapel in the mixed style promoted by Richard Owens in the 1870s.