Maesyrhelm Baptist Chapel

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the hillside on the W side of the Afon Ithon reached from the A483 by a minor road over Maes-yr-helm Bridge.

History

Baptist chapel dated 1805 and 1857. It is said to have been a Quaker site before, with some burials in the graveyard. Some of the stone is said to have come from Castelltinboeth a short distance down the Irfon valley. The chapel seems to have features of 2 phases in chapel building: the gable-end entry became standard from the 1850s, but the windowless side walls and back-lit pulpit remain from the older long-wall chapel form.

Exterior

A Baptist chapel of rubble stone with half-hipped slate roof. The gable end is mostly slate hung with one large cambered-headed triple window and a date plaque inscribed 'Maesyrhellem Baptist Chapel Built 1805 Rebuilt 1857'. Rubble stone ground floor and added gabled porch. Windowless side walls. The rear gable end has 2 large pointed windows with stone voussoirs, of which the timber tracery is probably C20.

Interior

A 3-sided painted grained gallery is on 5 octagonal timber posts. The gallery front has vertical cambered-headed panels, the panels grained a lighter colour. Stained pine pews are in 3 blocks, with plain vertical boarding to the backs and shaped ends. Inward-facing pews are each side of pulpit, the front pew of each block forming the set fawr. The pulpit platform has steps up from sides with open balusters, and is under a raked panel with elliptical intersect pattern. The pulpit front has similar front panel over plain panelling. Boarded dado. A plaque between windows is to Rev David Davies (d. 1908). A painted scroll above reads 'Praise ye the Lord'. The painted boarded 3-bay flat ceiling is divided by boarded painted beams. Three plain roundels.

The boarded lobby has stairs up to the gallery in each corner and two 4-panel doors into chapel. Painted grained gallery benches have open backs and shaped ends.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved mid-later C19 rural chapel showing the change from long-wall facades to gable-end entries. Maesyrhelm has a simple gable front, but the windowless sides and back-lit pulpit clearly reflect earlier chapel planning. Interior retains good original gallery.