Salem Baptist Chapel

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently located on the E side of High Street, at the junction with Hope Street.

History

Built 1848-51 for £1000. The cause was an offshoot of the early foundation at Blaenau Gwent, Abertillery. Meetings were first held in a local house until a small chapel was built in 1837. This chapel was situated N of the existing building, and the structure still stands. With the setting up of the Cwmcelyn Ironworks in 1840-41, the increased population necessitated a larger chapel on a new site, measuring 56 feet (17m) by 36 feet (11m), complete with galleries and baptismal pool. Such a plan was well-suited to the gable-end chapel which gained favour in Wales from the mid C19, especially among the Baptists.

Exterior

Painted stucco walls, artificial slate roof. Three bay facade facing High Street with pedimental gable on deep eaves with short returns. Round arched windows to both storeys with moulded hoods on small corbels: modern glazing in plastic. Round arched doorway with similar hood, C20 panelled doors. Wide stucco band between storey and also above upper windows: also plain raised pilaster strips each end. Upper band has large lettering ‘Salem Baptist Chapel’. Tablet above reading ‘Built 1848’ Long side elevation to Hope Street, three bays long with rectangular window to both storeys. Windows all modern except for 16-pane sash to ground floor left. Rear elevation has two sills of blocked paired round-arched windows. To left is small two-storey vestry wing, which has door to right with two four-pane sash windows to left; similar sash to first floor left with C20 window to right.

Interior

Three-sided gallery of 1848-51, the rear angles deeply canted. Gallery front of timber, with square panels containing blind trefoiled arches: applied grained finish, with anaglypta to panels and also to deep cove. Iron posts of quatrefoil cross-section. Underside of gallery each side of pulpit is boxed in to form ante-room and vestry. Later C19 pulpit with elaborate timber detail: canted front with segmentally arched panels on colonettes. Baptismal pool under big seat. Big seat set on ashlar plinth: timber rail on cast-iron uprights, which have foliage spandrels. Pews of similar date, skewed to outer bays of ground floor. Late C19 painted ceiling, boarded and ribbed with two decorative roses. Rear lobby has large marginally glazed window: part-glazed early C20 doors with coloured Art Noveau glass.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-designed mid C19 Baptist Chapel with much of its original character intact, including a fine gallery.