Saron Congregational Chapel, including attached schoolroom

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently located on the E side of Park Row. Chapel strikingly terminates vista looking W up Market Street from The Circle.

History

Built 1858 by Rev. Thomas Thomas of Landore, renowned chapel architect and Congregational minister. The first chapel was built 1819, rebuilt 1828. The 1828 chapel survives as the present schoolroom.

Exterior

Stuccoed classical facade to chapel. Slate roof. Three bay pedimented front with entablature on giant Ionic pilasters. Entablature slightly recessed to centre bay, with stuccoed arch rising into pediment with lettering ‘Saron Independent Chapel’. Oval plaque below ‘Built 1858’ Tall round-arched outer windows with simple glazing: moulded architraves and vermiculated keystones. Similar detail to central triplet and doorway below; paired panelled doors. Blocky stringcourse at sill level of outer windows: rusticated bands beneath, except to tall bases of pilasters. Left side elevation of four bays with tall round-arched windows set in shallow recesses. Similar detail to right side, partly blocked by earlier schoolroom wing. Schoolroom is single storey, stuccoed, with hipped roof of artificial slate. Four bays with door in left bay. Three twelve-pane sash windows to right within round-arched openings: probably the present sashes replace round-headed glazing.

Interior

Interior of chapel has three-sided gallery with long panels, applied grained finish. Plain iron columns. Box pews, facing inwards to side bays. Elaborate and large serpentine-fronted pulpit with decorative cast-iron slat balusters; panelled base, side stairs. The pulpit may be slightly later, dating after the 1859 Revival. when the introduction of platform pulpits enabled more eloquent preaching. Rear arch behind pulpit with moulding removed. Two blocked tall round-arched windows behind pulpit. Boarded and ribbed ceiling on a deep plaster cove: very large centre plaster rose. At pulpit end, the undersides of the galleries have been boxed in for tiny vestries: leaded glazed partitions within timber arcading. Big Seat has been altered. Rear lobby with sliding sash window; marginal glazing with central latticed panes. Some early monuments including: Edwin Hughes d. 1831 and family, moulded and panelled stone frame; John Lewis, Registrar d. 1849, and Rev Robert Morris d. 1825, a shaped stone tablet with elaborate carved surround, fluted tapering pilasters, semi-circular top with carved books and text (latter monument signed by Edwards and Son, Merthyr). In the schoolroom is a cut-down C19 pulpit: possibly the original one installed by Thomas: painted canted front: long panels with blunt trefoiled heads, elongated quatrefoils above: bench behind with scrolled arms and pedimented panelled rear board with fluted pilasters. Reset in vestibule of schoolroom is plaque of old chapel ‘Saron Independent Chapel. Built 1819. Rebuilt 1828’.

Reason for designation

Listed as a striking classical chapel by a well-established later C19 chapel architect, with interior of high quality; also unusually retains early C19 monuments.