Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Bethesda Baptist Church
Castle, Swansea, Wales
A Grade II* listed building in Castle, Swansea, designated on 30 March 1987.
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II*
- Broad class
- Religious, Ritual and Funerary
- Date of designation
- 30 March 1987
- Community
- Castle
- Unitary authority
- Swansea
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.62783, -3.94046
- Cadw reference
- 11554
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1636 · Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ... (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1637 · The fourth table of England. Cornub. Devonia, Somerset etc. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1865 · England and Wales. England No. 6. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Sheet 10. Ordnance Survey of England and Wales. . (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1897 · 247 Swansea (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
Cadw's description
Location
Set below road level in a railed burial ground on the corner with Prince of Wales Road.
History
Rebuilt c1870. Architect not known.
Exterior
Neo-classical chapel with elaborate Renaissance porch of segmental plan. 3-bay coursed ashlar (decayed) S front, modern pantile roof, cemented and painted side elevations. Pedimented frontispiece with dentil cornice, flanked balustraded parapets and openwork domed turrets with finials to corners. Entablature supported by paired pilasters on tall panelled pedestals with interrupted string-course. Triple openings to pediment, three round-headed lights below inscribed frieze, moulded architraves, keyblocks and linked impost bands, panelled fields with roundels over windows. Longer lights to outer bays.
Segmental-plan porch with 3 canted and richly carved doorpieces to round-arched openings, segmental pediments with foliage finials and dove tympana, foliage spandrels, Corinthian pilasters. Paired round-arched doors under porch.
W elevation with dentil cornice and entablature continuing from entrance front, 4 pilastered bays with windows on two levels (blank N end with removal of chapel hall). 2-storey, 7-window E elevation without pilasters but with linked import bands.
Pedimented N front with chimney at apex and domed turrets linked by solid parapets.
Interior
Said to have an "excellent interior". Christman Evans, the great preacher, who died in 1838, was buried near the original chapel.
Nearby in the register
- Palace TheatreRecreationalunder 1 mi
- St. Matthew's ChurchReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Ebenezer Baptist Chapel,Religious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Ebenezer Baptist Chapel HallReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.