23253

 

II  

Designated  

28/04/2000  

28/04/2000  

Dyffryn Chapel  

 

Neath Port Talbot  

Port Talbot  

Port Talbot  

Talbot Road  

277232  

188964  

W  

Located at the S end of Ffrwdwyllt Cottages on the W side of the entrance road to the steelworks.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Classical-style chapel dated 1893, replacing an earlier chapel on the site of 1841. The Sunday school to the rear was constructed in 1854. The architect is unknown. The early Calvinistic Methodists originally met in a farm building at Dyffryn Uchaf and subsequently Dyffryn Isaf. These farms are further up the valley but the name Dyffryn was retained. The chapel was disused at time of inspection (26/10/99).  

Classical-style gable end facade. Two-storey, 3-bay with triangular pediment and flanking staircase projections. Constructed of snecked rock-faced grey stone with prominent Bath stone dressings. Central square-headed doorcase of Bath stone, with pilasters, scrolled and foliate capitals and a moulded entablature with recessed panels and raised fields. The doorway has a segmental head with roll moulding and large scrolled foliate keystone. Double panelled doors and traceried overlight with Art Nouveau glass. The doorway is flanked by flat-headed 4-pane horned sash windows with margin glazing. Triangular heads above windows and corbelled sills. Dressed quoins to angles of facade. A moulded string course at 1st floor level supports 4 prominent Corinthian pilasters dividing the bays. The 2 inner pilasters are fluted to the upper half. These support a wide dressed architrave beneath the gable, which states that Dyffryn chapel was built in 1841 and rebuilt in 1893. In each of the 3 bays is a wide dressed impost band supporting high moulded round arches with highly ornate foliate keystones. Under each one is a roundel, and immediately beneath, a 6-pane window with margin glazing and a corbelled sill. These windows have flat heads with curved top angles, above which are small recessed circles. Above the arches are rectangular stone tablets reading 'Capel, Trefynyddion, Calfinaidd'. Dentilled triangular pediment within which is a triangular Bath stone panel containing a circle with 4 small circular vents. Flanking foliate decoration. The side bays are lower and slightly set back, and are surmounted by balustraded parapets with short pinnacles at the angles, and with hipped rooflets behind. The bays are 2-storey and 1-bay, the string course, and plinth with chamfered top edge continuing from the gable end facade. Horned sash windows with margin glazing. The lower storey windows are in Bath stone surrounds with triangular heads. The upper storey windows, flanked by pilasters, have a moulded round head with keystone and impost band. Dentilled architrave below parapets. No openings to sides of bays. The N and S walls of the chapel are rendered, with string course and plinth continuing round from the front. They are 2-storey and 5-window. Flat headed windows to lower storey containing horned sashes with margin glazing. Similar windows with round heads above, set within wide recessed panels. Two cupolas are retained on the roof. To the rear is the single-storey 3-window vestry at right angles, projecting slightly to the N. Above, in the gable apex of the chapel is a small 2-pane window. The vestry is rendered with a slate-covered roof (partly missing). Four-pane horned sashes with margin glazing under segmental heads. To the N end is a small lean-to porch and to its R, a 3-light segmental headed window, partially boarded. Tablet in S gable dated 1841, with late C20 3-light window below and small lean-to to the R.  

No access to interior at time of inspection (26/10/99).  

Listed as a large and prominent chapel with a fine, unaltered classical facade.