Tabernacle United Reformed Church

Cadw's description

Location

Located E of the junction between Newton Road and Chapel Street.

History

Built in 1870 as a Congregational Church (date on building).

Exterior

Geometrical style chapel of snecked, rock-faced stone and lighter stone dressings, with slate roof. The gabled entrance front, facing the road, is 3 bays, the outer bays being set-back lean-tos with diagonal buttresses and narrow cusped lancets. The central bay has double doorways placed within a gabled portal and under a pointed arch with the name and date of the building in engraved letters. The doorways have boarded doors, moulded jambs and arches. Above them and beneath the arch is a quatrefoil window. Above a string course are a pair of 2-light geometrical windows with a cusped round window above and a small narrow vent below the apex.
The 4-bay side walls have 2 tiers of paired lancets and a low clerestorey has triple cusped lights to each bay. Attached to the rear is a later vestry and school room comprising a lower projection and then a wide asymetrical gable with pointed windows and doorway, and under concrete tile roofs.

Interior

An entrance vestibule has doorways to the main chapel and gallery with panelled doors. The 3-sided raked gallery is carried on a full-height 4-bay arcade of wooden posts with arches and similar arches at right angles over the gallery. The gallery front has panels with diagonal boarding below open fret-cut arcading (and with an added steel hand rail). The 4-bay roof has arched braces to the principals, similar to the arcade. Behind the pulpit is an added recess projecting into the vestry which houses the organ below a 2-centred moulded arch. The pulpit has panels and openwork arcading and is flanked by steps with square moulded newels and balusters. Some windows have coloured abstract glazing by Glasslight Studios.

Reason for designation

Listed principally for the architectural interest of the interior, specifically its fine arcade and gallery.