Mount Pleasant Baptist Chapel

Cadw's description

Location

Situated near the centre of Pembroke, set back on the N side of East Back and near its E junction with Main Street.

History

Former Baptist chapel, for sale 2004. The present chapel was rebuilt in 1877-8 to designs by the Rev. Thomas Thomas of Swansea. It may incorporate walls of the previous chapel of 1859-60 by J. Cooper of Pembroke Dock. The previous chapel to this, used from c1830 had been a theatre. The design of the present chapel is similar to Hope Chapel, Pontarddulais, Glam., of 1871. It cost £2,500, and seated 600.

Exterior

Chapel, rock-faced grey limestone with Bath stone dressings and slate roof. Broad four-bay Gothic gable front with broad coped gable, and small iron finial. Five buttresses with ashlar quoins and offsets, the outer buttresses capped by ashlar pinnacles. All buttresses are identical up to second offset, but vary above this. The centre one has a short ashlar gable-capped top at level of main window heads, the next two have an additional offset at the level of main eaves and a short ashlar gable-capped top, but with trefoil headed panel. Outer pair have an ashlar pier above the second offset with trefoil-headed panel and pinnacle with short octagonal shaft and taller octagonal pointed cap with tiny gablets each face and iron finial. Gable has very large ashlar framed blank roundel, the frame inscribed 'Baptist Chapel AD 1859 AD 1877', the infill C20 imitation stone. First floor has two 2-light pointed windows with cusped tracery, hoodmoulds and stone voussoirs. Wings have quatrefoil roundel with stone voussoirs. Ground floor has 2 pointed doors with cusped Y-tracery fanlights, hoodmoulds and stone voussoirs. C20 doors.
Sides have similar 2-light window to those above doors, slightly differing tracery. Windows have moulded sills carried across to adjacent buttresses. Raised plinth. Side walls are roughcast with 3 tall cambered-headed windows with marginal glazing bars.
Attached to rear is roughcast 2-storey vestry and schoolroom, double-fronted with 2 cambered-headed windows above, 2 flat-headed windows below and centre door, stone sills. 3-window range to rear.

Interior

Three-sided gallery on 7 cast-iron fluted columns with furled leaf capitals. Gallery front has cornice, long panels with cast-iron pierced inserts, to a scroll and anthemion pattern, and panelled pilasters between. Pitch-pine pews in 3 blocks, the side ones canted. Shaped bench ends with low doors. Great seat has curved-ended rail on cast-iron uprights with scrolled brackets. Pulpit has steps each side, chamfered newels, finials, and rails with inset circles between chamfered square balusters. Short double-curved sides to platform with similar rails, and centre three-sided pulpit with ornate fretwork panels, angle shafts and moulded top rail. Plaster pulpit back with ogee top over panelled pilasters with egg-and-dart borders to panels. Lobby has two doors and centre horizontal window with etched coloured glass margins. Ceiling is three-sided in panels with moulded ribs, one large plaster rose, 2 smaller roses, and 8 vents (two square and 6 round).

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a large Gothic Revival chapel by one of the leading Welsh chapel architects, with a good front facade.