20552

 

II  

Designated  

19/10/1998  

19/10/1998  

Ebeneser Chapel  

 

Isle of Anglesey  

Rhosyr  

 

Newborough  

242500  

365538  

SW  

Set back slightly from the SW side of the A4080, Chapel Street, within walled grounds, at the SE end of the village of Newborough.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Formally known as Capel Uchaf, the original Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1785, (dated on the front of the chapel), re-built in 1860, and remodelled in the early C20.  

Two-storey, gable entry, Renaissance style chapel; with single storey, hipped roofed porch to front (E) end and small, square, lean-to extension to rear. Walls are rendered with rendered dressings, slate roof. Entrance elevation is strongly symmetrical; ground floor with hipped roofed porch of 3 bays, central bay slightly advanced with entrance under a moulded arch on Tuscan pilasters. Above the entrance is a moulded cornice surmounted by a pierced parapet with square angle piers with moulded pyramidal caps. Within the arch is a round-headed light with margin panes and entry to the chapel is by two large panelled doors either side of the open porch. Flanking the entrance are vestibules with single windows to front; square-headed recessed sashes with stressed, moulded, eared and shouldered, segmental-headed architraves. First floor has 4 round-headed windows, with stressed, moulded, eared and shouldered architraves and stressed keystones; windows are slightly recessed sashes with margin panes. Roofline is mirrored by a moulded cornice on the gable parapet; in the gable apex is a slightly stressed triangular panel containing stepped round-headed recesses, below that is a rectangular slate plaque, with stressed moulded surround, bearing the name EBENESER; 2 flanking circular plaques with similar surrounds read O.C. (to left) and 1785 (to right). Rear elevation has a gable parapet as for the front, and is pebble-dashed rendered, with 2 tall square-headed lights. Side elevations, each of 2 storeys and 4 bays have recessed sash windows with margin panes. In front of the chapel is a low rubble wall of Penmaenmawr granite, capped with roughly dressed blocks and with square piers of roughly dressed stone capped with moulded rendered caps. Central gateway hung with cast iron gates; vertical rails topped with spearhead finials of alternating heights, every other rail terminating just above the lock stile below which are diagonally set rails, forming a cross design.  

Entrance doors lead into porch vestibules with gallery stairs and panelled double doors leading to the main chapel. Ground floor with raking pitch pine box pews following the shape of the chapel and with central bank, staggered dividers. Set fawr at W end, opposite the entrance, rectangular, with advanced central bay to front with flanking diagonally set entrances. Lower part tongued and grooved panelling under a pierced decorative frieze and moulded rail; angles articulated by newel posts with chamfered angles, surmounted by globe finials. In the centre of the advanced bay to front is a reading desk with sloping wooden top set on a highly ornate floriate brass stand, to Richard Jones, d.1897. The pulpit is rectangular, 3 bays, the central bay advanced and side entrances raised by 6 circular stairs. Lower part is of plain recessed panels with moulded surrounds; the upper part, advanced on a moulded base, formed by pierced decorative panels; central bay with 2 floriate panels, flanking bays with fleur de lys designs. Stairs have moulded rails on turned balusters with newel posts as for set fawr. The chapel walls are plastered, painted, with tongued and grooved panelling to the lower part. Behind the pulpit is a tall aedicule formed by 4 fluted pilasters supporting a moulded cornice surmounted by widely spaced, engaged globe finials; 3 bays, central bay with 4 recessed panels with moulded surrounds, flanking bays with stained glass windows by Dudley Forsyth, London. Left hand window to Wm Jones, d.1911; right hand window to R Prichard Jones, d.1910. The gallery is supported on slightly tapering cast iron columns; U-shaped with raking box pews, the gallery front is of recessed panels containing vertical set tongued and grooved panelling, under a highly ornate pierced floriate frieze and moulded rail. The walls are plastered and painted, the lower half with tongued and grooved panelling; a moulded cornice set under the coving at the top. Ceiling with recessed panels of tongued and grooved panelling with moulded dividers and a central ventilation grille; highly ornate pierced floriate surround and fluted pendant drop.  

Listed as a well-designed and detailed early C20 remodelling of an earlier chapel, built on an ambitious scale for a village location, and forming a coherent group with the adjacent chapel house and sunday school. It retains a particularly richly detailed interior.