Bethania Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in the centre of Glynneath, on the S side of High Street set back in forecourt with iron rails on low stone walls with 4 stone piers.

History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel of 1905 replacing earlier chapel of 1858 and 1862, which still survives, now Bethany English Presbyterian chapel.

Exterior

Chapel, brown rock-faced coursed stone with dressings in red sandstone. Large scale gable front with outer pilasters, cornice and pedimental gable. Four arched upper windows over ground floor slight centre projection with door flanked by lower arched windows. Red stone dressings and quoins to pilasters. Gable has arched small light with keystone over recessed circular date plaque flanked by recessed triangular panels. Moulded cornice with dentils below frieze, linking to pilaster dentil capitals. Red sandstone panels beneath pilaster capitals. The pilasters are crossed by string course over ground floor. First floor windows have moulded stilted arches, keystones, moulded impost band, and flush quoins below. Unusual glazing with big roundel in heads over sashes with coloured glass margins. Stone sills. Ground floor slight projection is gabled over door with moulded verge continued each side as cornice, under blocking course. String course continues cornice line each side. Centre big arched doorway with moulded surround and moulded arched hood with carved keystone. Windows each side have linked hoods and smaller keystones. Double panelled doors with radiating bars in big fanlight. Small sashes each side with fixed fanlights, all with coloured glass margins.
Rendered 2-storey 5-window side walls, arched windows over flat-headed windows, one side replaced in plastic. Marginal glazing bars. First floor sill course. Schoolroom behind.

Interior

Broad interior well fitted in early C20 manner. Ceiling has cornice, panelled plaster border, then timber border with 6 pierced vent roundels, and plaster main part with centre plaster rose and some thin timber ribs. Two smaller roses. Pulpit end has very large recess, intended for organ, with pilasters, cambered head, keystone, frieze with rosettes and top cornice merging into chapel cornice. Three-sided galleries on 7 iron columns with florid capitals and a shaft ring just above pew height. Columns by Hall & Smith of Brierley Hill. Gallery front of pitch-pine and hardwood has curved angles, deep cornice under paired horizontal moulded panels divided by panelled piers. Moulded top cornice and rail. Pews in 3 blocks, outer ones canted, some inward facing pews each side of set fawr. Set fawr has pitch-pine panelling, vertical below horizontal panels and fluted newels with turned finials. Fine similar panelling behind platform and in pulpit recess, with hardwood cornice under top row of narrow horizontal panels.
Broad ornate platform with balustraded stairs up each side, heavy turned newels with turned vase finials. Very ornate broad pulpit with canted angles, that breaks forward. Two panels to front, one to each canted side, with figured wood panels, hardwood labels above panels, and panelled pilasters with carved capitals to front 2 bays. Deep moulded hardwood cornice. Short return each side has cornice over stubby balustrading. Then short length of balustrade out to stair heads. Three panelled seats behind with moulded armrests.
Panelled pews in galleries, steeply raked at entrance end. The arched upper windows all have plaster hoodmoulds. Lobby with encaustic tile floor, right-angle stairs each side, two 6-panel doors and double 3-light leaded transom window with some coloured glass.
Behind chapel is vestry and schoolroom with glazed timber partitions.

Reason for designation

Included as a large chapel of the period of the religious revival, well detailed externally in contrasting coloured materials, and with very fine woodwork to the interior.