Alltwalis Independent Chapel, including vestry to rear

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in the centre of Alltwalis on the W side of the A485.

History

Independent chapel, 1896-7 by D Lewis Jones of Llanelli, tender advert for £660. Cause founded at Glynadda 1784, house at Troedrhiw leased 1806, improved 1819, rebuilt on new site 1832-3. Also known as Troedrhiw-Alltwalis.

Exterior

Chapel, stucco with slate roof, plain bargeboards. Two storey gable front with recessed arch to centre bay, first floor sill course and rusticated angle quoins. Ground floor big arched doorway with pilasters and moulded arch with keystone. Double 6-panel doors and traceried fanlight, three half-circles and 2 circles echoing main window above. Cambered-headed window each side with moulded hood and keystone. First floor arched windows, narrow each side, broad to centre, with "Italianate" tracery of arched lights and roundel over, the side windows 2-light the centre 3-light with 2 roundels. Marginal glazing bars to arched lights and roundels of centre window. Moulded hoods linked by moulded impost band. In gable apex a roundel vent. Date plaque over door.
Plain 2-storey, 4-window sides, arched windows above, cambered-headed below. Single storey vestry behind with door and 2 windows.

Interior

Ornate curved-angled 3-sided gallery on iron columns with acanthus-and-scroll capitals and marbled shafts. Dentil cornice over columns interrupted by fluted console brackets under projecting gallery front. This has moulded cornice under long horizontal panels in 2 layers divided by pilasters. Lower panels are vertically-boarded with minimal stencilling, upper pierced cast-iron panels, the iron pattern of small pierced lozenges linking top and bottom continuous semi-circles. Pilasters have fluting below a panel. Moulded top rail. Clock to centre between 2 pilasters. Pine pews in 3 blocks. Square set fawr with moulded rail and similar cast-iron panels to gallery. Panelled posts with ball finials. Platform is balustraded with steps up each side, newels matching set fawr posts. Big projecting pulpit front with canted angles and arched panels divided by column shafts, the panels in figured wood, over panel of vertical boarding with some stencilling. Dentil cornice. Broad plaster arch behind pulpit, fluted pilasters, moulded arch and keystone. Marble memorial within listing ministers and building dates. Gallery has raked pews, boarded backs, curved to line of gallery. Two doors to lobby and centre window.
Deep cove to ceiling and boarded main part with border, main rectangle with diagonal ribs and centre narrow rectangle. Border and centre have square pierced vents.

Reason for designation

Included as a large and complete later C19 rural chapel of definite architectural character, with good interior timber and cast-iron fittings.