20999

 

II  

Designated  

17/12/1998  

17/12/1998  

English Baptist Church and walled forecourt  

 

Caerphilly  

Abercarn  

 

Abercarn  

321736  

194175  

E  

Just S of Abercarn village on the main thoroughfare between Abercarn and Cwmcarn.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Chapel built 1857, remodelled 1882; further internal refurbishing 1895. Independent Cause established in Abercarn by John Griffiths 1750, an ironmaster who later became a judge in New York State. Cause revived by Thomas Moses in 1777 though nearest churches were at Pontypool or Bassaleg. In 1808 meetings commenced at Hafod-fach, a farm above Chapel of Ease, then from 1815 a room by Gwyddon brook. Industrial developmentt mid C19 led to growth in membership and church formally established 1847 with bilingual meetings and baptisms in River Ebbw. From 1850 Cause was led by Revd Stephens, a social reformer and enthusiast for Welsh culture. Site chosen for church near Market Place with temporary accommodation in Market Hall, then transferred to current site between Abercarn and Cwmcarn where foundation stone laid 1856. Building designed by Ebenezer Rogers, cost nearly £1000, opened 1857. No pastor but a centre for Revivalist preaching until 1862. Very large Sunday School met in chapel. Daughter chapel at Celynen built 1873; this became the Welsh language chapel with English used in this building which became known as Lower Baptist Chapel Abercarn. Abercarn Colliery explosion in 1878; local response led by Baptist pastor, Revd Probert. Strong musical tradition. Repairs to church 1882 involved levelling of ground floor, insertion of galleries, new pulpit with baptistry beneath, new seating, choir and harmonium in W gallery. Externally new vestibule was constructed with 2 flights of stone steps; internal staircases to gallery also erected, total cost £1050. In 1889 heating introduced. Revival in 1892 at the time when depression in Tin Plate industry was affecting Abercarn. In 1895 further improvements were made including remodelling gallery by making it steeper and replacement of front in wrought iron; American organ imported from Cardiff. In 1902 church had 400 members and 500 Sabbath Scholars; church was used for latter with children in vestry. Led to construction of separate Sunday School. Installation of pipe organ by Binns organ builders of Leeds in 1915 involved further remodelling of baptistry, pulpit and deacons pew. Photograph of 1932 shows building almost unaltered since.  

Main gable end front of tooled snecked stone with wings of snecked rockfaced stone and lower ground floor of giant rockfaced blocks; some ashlar dressings, painted, some rockfaced; Welsh slate roof with kneelers, decorative bargeboards and gable finials. 3-storey gable end frontage has at chapel level a large pointed-arched window altered to include a glazed tile panel at base with triple lancet vestibule window below; large boarded trefoil apex opening; lower ground floor round-arched entrance doorway is flanked by round-headed windows with deep sills; prominent quoins. From front flagged courtyard steps rise on each side to the two setback gabled staircase cross wings, each with shouldered doorway with roundel above set within an arch; paired lancets above. Wall fronting chapel forecourt is of rubble with rockfaced dressings, saddleback coping, stepped up to right and terminating in a tooled pyramidal capstone; central entrance has heavy rockfaced piers with similar capstones and decorative lamp arch with double iron gates.  

Interior has deep gallery on 3 sides with decorative cast iron panels, moulded wooden rail and deep base with tiers of moulding, supported by 6 twisted cast-iron columns; scored render to walls and boarded dado. At end is the reredos arch of moulded plaster, a round arch with pilasters set within a rectangular frame, with a separate curved wooden gallery in front bearing the organ console with pipes at each side. Below is the pulpit with baptistry enclosure bounded by a wooden rail with decorative cast-iron railings. Flat boarded ceiling in panels with hexagonal ventilators. Some renewed glazing but most retained with Art Nouveau style motifs. Vestibule enclosure with descending steps to entrance on lower ground floor. Former vestry and Sunday School with double doors to side, also used in marriage service. To rear back stairs, organ passage and pastor's vestry.  

Listed as a prominent mid C19 chapel with later C19 remodelling retaining almost all its historic fabric. Group value with the Sunday School.