Capel Croesywaun

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the main road running through Croesywaun with the Sunday School/Vestry adjacent; narrow forecourt has low rubble wall with slate coping, fleur-de-lys iron railings and decorated double gates with octagonal iron posts.

History

Calvinist Methodist chapel built in the late C19.

Exterior

Simple Classical style. Rendered rubblestone with some roughcast panels and plaster decoration to front; slate roof. Pedimented gabled front in 1:2:1 bays divided by 3 orders of plain pilasters, including to corners and windows, with palmette leaf decoration to capitals; rusticated base and simple impost band to ground stage; bolder cornice to eaves carried up around pediment. Twin 10-panel double doors in round-arched openings with fanlights flank shorter centre panel. Tall round-arched windows with margin lights in outer bays and much shorter but similar twin round-headed windows in centre panel to middle stage. Above the eaves cornice is a moulded semi-circular panel with keyblock enclosing 3 moulded roundels with glazing bars. The word "CROESYWAUN" is picked out in a panelled strip above. The plain returns have 4 recessed sash windows with margin lights in simple architraves to each stage, the upper round-headed. 4-panel door with rectangular overlight beyond the fourth bay to right return. Rear gable end is roughcast and has 2 round-arched sashes as on returns to upper level with narrower square-headed sashes to ground stage.

Interior

Good late C19 interior. Flat panelled ceiling with plaster ribs and rich pendant decoration to inner panels, especially elaborate to central oval-shaped rose; diagonal timber boarding to outer panels; plaster decoration to cornice. Electroliers, which probably originally hung from the pendants, to corners of panels. Raking pitch-pine box pews throughout including to gallery, which is supported on 7 cast-iron fluted columns with Corinthian capitals and has short fluted pilasters (marking the pew divisions) to the front and simple inset clock by J W Benson of Ludgate Hill, London facing the set fawr. This has panelled and balustraded raised enclosure to front with reading desk and pulpit behind set into elliptical-arched recess with half-height Corinthian pilasters, panelled splays and rear below 2-light stained glass window with fluted Corinthian pilaster to centre; plaster decoration and key-block to upper part of arch. 6-panel doors to either side of set fawr lead to entrance lobby with stairs to either side to gallery. Further 6-panel doors under gallery at opposite end lead to space below; this is divided into 2 rooms by tongue and groove partition, the right larger with folding benches/desks.

Reason for designation

Included as an unaltered late C19 chapel with a good interior forming a strong group with the adjoining Sunday School and Vestry.