Bathafarn Wesleyan Methodist Chapel

Cadw's description

Location

Situated at the junction of Market Street and Mount Street.

History

Wesleyan chapel of 1869 designed by Richard Owens of Liverpool and built in memory of the Rev. Edward Jones of Bathafarn near Ruthin, one of the founders of Wesleyanism in Wales, born 1778 and died 1837. He was minister at Mill St chapel from 1802.

Exterior

Chapel, red brick with sandstone ashlar dressings and slate roof. Coped gable with eroded finials. Rock-faced stone quoin-pillars and raised plinth. Three-bay, two-storey facade in mixed Italianate and Gothic style. Two two-storey triangular-headed recesses each side of centre with moulded ashlar heads. Each has arched window over square headed window, in a continuous surround with arched hood, impost band, flush rusticated jambs and stone sill. The windows are divided by an ashlar lintel under a dentilled sill. The centre has 2 flush bands across ground floor interrupted for a big gabled projecting door surround. This has flush quoins, coped gable, ashlar plaque and cambered-headed door recessed in cambered-headed surround with hoodmould. The door has chamfered jambs and moulded head, the outer surround has squat ringed column shafts to about mid height and moulded head. The hoodmould has carved stops. Sill course above under first floor tall ashlar arched feature in chamfered rusticated surround with arched hoodmould. Three small arched lights under a very big quatrefoil-traceried roundel the points of the quatrefoil holding a foliate cross, glazed behind. Four incised little round bosses in the stonework below, and above the triple window.
Two-storey, 4-window sides in recess divided by piers. Arched upper windows, ashlar lintels to flat heads below. Windows all have coloured glass margins. Single storey vestry behind with door and 2 windows to street, similar lintels.

Interior

Interior has 3-sided gallery with curved angles, on 8 iron columns with Gothic leaf capitals, the gallery front projected on scrolled iron brackets. Timber brackets to underside between iron brackets. Timber front panelled in long panels with square panels between. Pitch pine pews in 3 blocks, and inward-facing blocks each side of pulpit. Balustraded three-sided enclosing rail to pulpit. Curving platform stairs with turned balusters and ball-finials to newels each side. Pulpit front breaks forward with 2 arched panels, low balustrades over panels to each side. Upholstered carved wood bench seat. Behind the pulpit a very large stucco corniced feature with pilasters, moulded arch and big dentil cornice above. Within the arch an ornate marble memorial plaque to the Rev Edward Jones, presumably of 1869. Gallery has steeply raked pews. under gallery, lobby with arched window between 2 doors. Fine plaster ceiling with centre rose and four outer roses in pierced plaster roundels joined by a pierced border, the piercings to allow ventilation. Moulded cornice.
In the vestry is preserved the painted plaque from the 1802 Mill Street chapel.

Reason for designation

Included as an elaborately detailed chapel of the 1870s, of historical interest for the connection with the Rev. Edward Jones.