Ysgoldy Brynhyfryd and two integrated Houses

Cadw's description

Location

Situated alongside steeply sloping road at upper end of Garth and 75 m. below junction with Pen-y-gaer Road.

History

Mid-C19 nonconformist chapel erected in 1847 at a cost of £600 for the Calvinistic Methodist movement (later Presbyterian Church of Wales), and partly rebuilt in 1885. It appears to have replaced an earlier chapel shown on 1838 Tithe Map 200m SE. The "separate and entire building with two dwelling houses under" noted in the 1851 Religious Census refers to the main building; the 1885 rebuilding probably refers to the schoolroom added at NW. The chapel was closed in 1994. Chapel, Schoolroom and houses were unoccupied at the time of inspection, the houses undergoing up-grading and refurbishment.

Exterior

Rough tooled ashlared sandstone walls throughout with slate roof, hipped to south, gable to north, with conical metal ventilator and brick stacks. A gaunt building with chapel on upper (2nd) floor with added NW schoolroom wing at same level and two side-entry back-to-back houses occupying two lower floors and built into sloping ground. The steep fall of the ground allows direct access from the road to dwellings at ground floor as well as the chapel at 2nd floor levels. 3-storey, three-window range east elevation facing road incorporating off-centre gablet beneath chimney, with widely spaced tall 8-pane windows with cross-form timber mullions and narrow marginal panes on upper floor, a sash window to first floor and a sash window and door to ground floor. 3-storey, two-window range south elevation with 6-pane windows with cross-form timber mullions on upper floor, sash windows (12-pane with horns to left house) to first floor and sash windows (16-pane without horns to left house) and twin doorways to ground floor. 1-storey three-window range north elevation with triple round-headed vent openings at high level, name plaque beneath and closely spaced small windows with cross-form timber mullions below. Entrance doorway with architrave and corniced parapet above to (later ?) vestibule leading to chapel and schoolroom. 1-storey three-window south elevation to schoolroom has similar windows to chapel; other walls are blank. Heavy, thick slates to schoolroom roof.

Interior

Plain walls and 3-bay ceiling with three plaster ceiling roses to chapel. Houses unoccupied and interiors not inspected.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest in incorporating in section a Nonconformist chapel and a pair of houses within a single building on steep site, and retaining mid-C19 character.