Tabernacl Capel yr Annibynwyr (Welsh Independent) including vestry wing

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on a corner site just E of and above the main Valley thoroughfare, the side elevation being on Meadow Street, the original Valley thoroughfare.

History

Main chapel 1889, vestry block 1884. First Non-Conformist Cause in Garw Valley was at 'City' in Bettws; Cause established in Pontycymer 1883 in stable loft and moved to vestry in 1884.

Exterior

A plain gable end facade, with a 4 bay side elevation to Meadow Street joining a 5 bay vestry block. Built of coursed rock-faced sandstone, snecked to vestry, rubble to side left, with yellow brick dressings, rendered to rear; a tiled roof to chapel and Welsh slate to vestry. Two storey 3 bay gable end facade has cambered arched margin glazed sash windows, the central double, with decorative yellow brick surrounds, quoins and string courses; small round arched louvred apex light with date plaque below; central cambered arch doorway with margin glazed overlight and double diagonally boarded doors. Front courtyard and garden enclosed by stone wall with high end and gate piers with pyramidal caps and iron railings and gates; railings also to paths. Side elevation to Meadow Street has similar windows with margin glazing at gallery level and 13 pane glazing incorporating small casements at ground floor; blue brick plinth courses incorporate ventilation grilles.

Vestry wing has square headed margin glazed horned sashes with ground floor range incorporating also margin glazed overlights and moulded ashlar head with hood mould; end right blocked. Two steps to ashlar doorway left with entablature head and overlight under a pediment; date plaque above.

Interior

Interior has a 3 sided raked gallery supported on 8 cast iron piers with foliage capitals, with deep boarded soffit supported by decorative brackets, polished wood front with contrasting staining and boarded panels. Plastered coved ceiling has large central rose with 4 small corner ventilators. Ground floor pews also have contrasting staining; boarded dado. Unusual light wood curved panelled set fawr; central pulpit with flanking balustraded staircases with behind a large organ by Martin and Coate of Oxford, the pipes both filling and partly obscuring the recessed plaster reredos comprising a high round headed enriched arch with fluted pilasters and Corinthian capitals; flanked by two wall monuments including a war memorial of 1930. Gas lamps still in situ. Glazing is plain except for vestibule. The vestry retains its original furnishings including doors, surrounds, dado and wooden floor.

Reason for designation

Listed as an unaltered late C19 chapel of substantial dimensions and together with its unusually large earlier vestry for its extensive frontage on Meadow Street, an important town thoroughfare; also for group value with other buildings on this street: the former Coop bakery, the Ffaldau Workmen's Institute and Billiard Hall and the United Reformed Church of which this is the Mother church.