22112

 

II  

Designated  

29/07/1999  

11/10/1999  

Capel Ebenezer  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Llansadwrn  

Llanwrda  

Llansadwrn  

269520  

231543  

 

Situated in village of Llansadwrn, just N of churchyard wall.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Independent chapel rebuilt in 1873-4, almost certainly by John Humphrey of Morriston, though documentary evidence not found. This chapel closely resembles Humphrey's chapel at Ffaldybrenin, Llanycrwys. The chapel was founded in a barn nearby about 1811, first chapel built in 1830, and possibly surviving as the vestry.  

Chapel, squared brown and grey sandstone with flush ashlar dressings and slate roof behind coped and shouldered front gable. Unusually architectural design, the 3-bay front with broad arched recess for centre first floor window and tall narrow arched recesses for side windows, these latter carried down to ground with battered plinths each side. Stone voussoirs to arches. Centre arched door with flush ashlar stilted head and small ashlar-framed roundel each side. Moulded ashlar sill course across centre. Flush ashlar under gable coping and in bands. Band across gable has flush plaque over inscribed Ebenezer, and inscription to band, Built 1830 Rebuilt 1874. Further bands at impost level of centre recess, and impost level of side recesses. Grey stone flush bands each side of centre door and across facade above battered plinths. Side windows are of 2 tall narrow lights with tiny roundel over, and have rusticated flush ashlar surrounds. Centre has 4 short narrow arched lights, 2 large roundels over and small detached roundel above. Panelled double doors, small paned windows. E side wall is of 4 tall arched recesses with battered plinths to piers. Sandstone voussoirs, flush ashlar impost band. First arch has 2 long narrow lights and roundel, other 3 have arched upper window with stone voussoirs and 2 narrow arched ground floor lights. W side is similar, but rendered with brick arches exposed where render has decayed. N end has 2 arched windows to first floor and roundel vent in gable. Across N end is rubble stone vestry that looks early C19, possibly the chapel of 1830. Fine large arched windows, of 2 lights each with Y-shaped mullion, small-paned glazing and intersecting tracery to heads. Two windows to N side, one to right of W gable end. E end has whitewashed rubble addition with right end stack, possibly former chapel house.  

Interior has 3-sided gallery on 1x3x1 iron columns with acanthus-leaf capitals. Deep stencilled cove, fretwork fringe under boarded gallery front with narrow strip of pierced decorative cast-iron. Arch recess on rear wall behind pulpit. Lobby with doors in canted side walls and centre window. Vestry has later C19 roof with iron ties.  

Included as a strikingly designed chapel in stripped-down Romanesque style, probably by one of the most important Welsh chapel architects, and retaining earlier chapel as vestry.