10860

 

II  

Designated  

10/01/1991  

10/01/1991  

Calfaria Chapel  

 

Rhondda Cynon Taff  

Aberdare East  

 

 

300189  

202456  

 

Above the road and set back behind burial ground. Side elevation to Griffith Street.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Built l851 at a cost of £1,400 - may have been designed by Rev William Lewis. Hall added in l871.  

Classical 3-bay front with pediment treatment, broken by advanced full height central bay. Coursed rubble with freestone dressings, including moulded cornice, quoins and plinth; slate roof with some cresting and boarded eaves. Stone roundel with bricked up quatrefoil to top over datestone with swags. Larger central wheel window with swept freestone surround main entrance below with deeply moulded round arched surround and panelled doors with intersecting Gothic fanlight, semi circular steps. Horned small pane sashes to outer bays with marginal glazing bars; cornices and blind panelled aprons to gallery, voussoirs to ground floor. The 'façade' is continued around the corners; 4-bay side elevations with high plinth serving as ground floor sill, similar sash windows, round arched over square headed. Hall (dated l871) is set transversely and projects to either side at the far end; snecked rubble and slate roof. 3-bay gabled front facing Griffith Street. Tall round arched windows with glazing bars and 'Y' shaped heads, central panelled doors with intersecting tracery fanlight. Horned 12 pane sashes to cement render rear. Burial ground containing some good later Cl9 monuments including one to the notable Dr Thomas Price; bordered by a rubble wall to Monk Street and sloping up Griffith Street with rounded coping. 2 entrances, the main one being in Monk Street with gate piers capped by glass lamps on metal bases (missing to right); Griffiths Street entrance is opposite the Bethania Ysgoldy.  

Rectangular interior with coved and boarded ceiling; roses to corners and centre and diamond shaped panel to centre with plaster foliage detail; bracket cornice. Raked gallery, projecting far into the church carried on cast iron columns; bowed cast iron gallery front with intricate foliage. The platform and steps up to 'set fawr' have cast iron newels with gilding and ball finials; barley twist balusters. Baptistery beneath. Simple Gothic organ case. Hall to rear has 5-bay roof; boarded ceiling with edges and billet moulded cornice. Gallery to one end with panelled timber front swept round at ends.  

Group value with Bethania Chapel.