20964

 

II  

Designated  

25/11/1998  

25/11/1998  

Seion Methodist Chapel, including railings to forecourt  

 

Isle of Anglesey  

Aberffraw  

 

Aberffraw  

235512  

368912  

SE  

Set back slightly, within an enclosed oval yard, from the SE side of the junction of Bridge Street with Bodorgan Square, c. 200m NE of the church of St. Beuno in Aberffraw.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Built in 1887; a slate plaque to the right of the entrance reads: Eglwys Fethodistaidd Seion 1887.  

Methodist chapel. Two-storey with basement, gable-entry; with short, narrower, projecting gable (housing organ) to rear (E) and gabled porch to front. Rendered elevations throughout; slate roof with red clay ridge tiles, rendered copings and a single rendered stack to rear. The west entrance elevation is strongly symmetrical, its steep gable pedimented, with rendered mouldings and carrying on each side, visually detached parapets with rusticated quoins surmounted by ball and spike finials. The cornice is broken at its centre by the semi-circular arched head of the principal window, recessed, with 3 round-headed fixed lights with margin panes beneath a central circular light, all with heavily moulded rendered frames. The recess has stressed quoins matching those of each corner of the building and is faced at ground level by a slightly projecting gabled porch. On each side of the central recess, at first floor level, are single, double-hung, sliding sash windows, placed symmetrically above paired sash windows at ground level. All are 4-panes with heavily moulded architraves, the heads of the ground floor windows segmental with keystones, first floor set beneath the cornice which carries a triangular moulded pediment above each. Continuous sill bands encircle the building at ground and first floor levels. Four window N and S elevations; 3-storey to N, 2-storey to S. Double-hung, sliding sash windows throughout with margin panes and heavily moulded architraves and sill bands. East elevation with smaller projecting gable surmounted by chimney. Stressed quoins and central first floor sash windows above paired sash windows at ground floor level. The chapel grounds are enclosed by a low rubble wall; the front has rubble piers with rendered caps between lower capped walls surmounted by trefoil-finialed railings, the double gates in front of the entrance similarly detailed with descending top rail.  

The porch opens into a full-width vestibule with gallery staircase each end and 2 doors giving entrance to the aisles within the chapel. Three ranks of pews, the central with staggered divider, set fawr at opposite (E) end, beneath and in front of the organ and choir gallery set within the eastern gable projection. The set fawr is of 3-bays, the central advanced with raking sides, entrances to either side of the central bay; recessed panels, upper panels pierced. The pulpit is similarly shaped, plain recessed panelling with moulded surrounds, and side entrances raised by 6 steps; stick balusters with floriate brackets under a moulded rail, and turned newel posts with acorn finials. Flanking the set fawr are panelled doors, the left hand for a cupboard, the right hand to stairs down to the schoolroom below. Continuous gallery supported on slightly tapering cast iron composite columns; front with recessed panels with moulded surrounds, a shallow panel broken by widely spaced diamond panels. Above, and to the rear of the set fawr, is the organ and choir gallery, enhanced by a basket-headed arch with fluted piers and moulded capitals; the walls and ceiling are decorated with narrow plaster panels with moulded surrounds. Plain plastered walls with tongued and grooved boarded dado panelling to ground floor and gallery; the gallery walls with moulded cornice under a pierced ventilation frieze. Ceiling is coved and comprises deeply recessed plaster panels with moulded timber surrounds; the central part has diagonally set dividers to form a diamond design, the inner panels with ornate, circular ventilation grilles, the outer panels with diagonally set tongued and grooved panelling.  

Listed as an ambitiously scaled late C19 Methodist chapel, characterised externally the Neo-Renaissance enrichment of the entrance front, and internally by the quality of timber and plasterwork.