Yr Hen Gapel, including vestry and forecourt walls

Cadw's description

Location

To the W of the village centre, on the N side of a minor road to the parish church.

History

The first chapel was founded in 1650 but the present chapel was built in 1827, replacing an earlier building of 1780 (dates on building). It was superseded in 1910 when nearby Capel Tabernacl was built, and has subsequently been used as a village hall and occasional place of worship. The early non-conformist Stephen Hughes (1622-88) preached here.

Exterior

A chapel in simple early C19 style with long-wall façade, of rubble stone and half-hipped slate roof on bracketed eaves. Round-headed openings have stone voussoirs. Doorways at the ends have boarded doors with radial-glazed overlights. The 2 large central windows are small-pane hornless sashes with intersecting glazing bars. Smaller gallery windows L and R above the doorways have similar detail. In the centre is a slate tablet framed by re-used stone dressings. In the R (N) end wall are 2 replaced round-headed gallery windows with keyed yellow-brick heads and blank tympana. Set back on the L (S) side is a lower gabled former stable with vestry above. The vestry has, on the R side next to the chapel, stone steps to a boarded door under a stone lintel, to the L of which is a 12-pane sash window. Below, the former stable has a boarded door flanked by 4-pane windows. The 2-window L gable end has inserted windows. Replaced windows are at the rear.

In front of the chapel is a stone wall enclosing the graveyard, and an iron gate at the foot of the vestry stairs.

Interior

The interior is subdivided horizontally: the upper (gallery) level is used as a chapel with workshops below. The gallery is supported on turned wooden columns, retains panelled frontal and old wooden benches.

Reason for designation

Listed as an early C19 chapel retaining much of its early character.