14556

 

II  

Designated  

13/07/1994  

20/11/1996  

Trehondda Welsh Independent Chapel  

 

Rhondda Cynon Taff  

Ferndale  

Ferndale  

 

299891  

196956  

E  

In a dominant position on a corner of the main valley thoroughfare at the N end of High Street at its junction with Strand. Formerly adjacent to the now demolished Workmen's Hall.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Built in 1867, extended in 1878 to seat 655 at cost of £1500 and vestry further enlarged 1905; the earliest surviving chapel in the Rhondda Fach and the focus of the early community which grew around the small scale mining and quarrying before the big expansion of the area in the last decades of the C19. As the congregation of Trerhondda grew it became the mother-chapel to many smaller local chapels. Interior refurbishment of 1900 included provision of new pulpit, seating and ceiling and repainting; much of the interior furnishing removed 1994.  

Built of coursed rock-faced sandstone with ashlar dressings to main front, snecked to side, rendered to rear; Welsh slate roof to main building. Gable end facade of 2 storeys has at gallery level 3 windows comprising central round arched 3 light window and two segmental headed windows either side; above is a pediment with relief inscription panel; below a string course the ground floor has similar side segmental headed windows and round arched central doorway with double panelled doors and fanlight. Band course continues along main side elevation to road right which has 6 bays with 6 round-headed windows at gallery level and 4 camber-headed windows at ground floor, with doorway blocked. Similar downhill side elevation. All windows have multipane sashes with rockfaced voussoirs, quoins and sills. Stepped down at S end is the single storey vestry wing with concrete tiled roof and gables over the 2 round headed sash windows which flank the deep gabled porch, which itself has small round headed windows on each side. Further side wing attached rear left. Site is bounded by low coursed rock faced stone walls with coping, cast iron railings and tall gate piers some with cross gabled capstones, the railings now missing front left.  

Ornate plaster and board ceiling is ribbed in petal pattern with pitch pine outer border and timber ribs pointing inwards to the large central rose (part missing); round arched reredos on end wall has panelled and fluted pilasters and painted foliage ornament and includes 3 stencilled panels.  

Listed in spite of the loss of part of its interior for its historic importance to the Rhondda especially the Rhondda Fach, and for the well preserved historic character of the exterior in a dominant position in the town.