Ponterwyd Calvinistic Methodist Chapel and attached chapel house

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on slope facing W over the old bridge at Ponterwyd.

History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel built in 1854, replacing one of 1800. Said to have been first built as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, marked on 1891 OS map as Primitive Methodist. The broad gable front suggests that a long-wall chapel may have been altered to a gable front in 1854 but it is possible that the whole was built from new. Interior has close similarities to Ebeneser Weslyan chapel, Ystumtuen, 1858 and Capel Trisant, Trisant, 1850.

Exterior

Chapel, colourwashed stucco and slate overhanging roof with brackets to gable verges and side eaves. Broad gable front of two arched windows and outer arched doors. Lunette plaque in gable: Capel Ponterwyd Adeiladwyd yn y flwyddyn 1800, ac a helaethwyd yn y flwyddyn 1854'. Windows are small-paned with Georgian Gothic intersecting glazing bars in heads. Doors have five long panels with pointed heads (as also at the chapels at Ystumtuen and Llywernog) and plate glass fanlights. All arch heads are painted.
Attached to right is lower chapel house with C20 door to extreme left and plate glass sash each floor to right. Black brick end stack, rendered right end wall and brick chimney on rear roof slope.
Chapel right side wall behind house is rendered with one 24-pane sash. Rubble stone left side wall has three similar windows with stone voussoirs and broad rear gable also has three similar sashes. Boarded door in gable with stone voussoirs.

Interior

Broad, near-square interior without galleries. Four blocks of painted grained numbered box pews raked up towards back in nine steps, with ramped top rails. Two blocks of inward-facing pews between lobbies and great seat. Pews are painted pale yellow grain with red-brown top rail, and are pale brown within. Plain panel backs but moulded surrounds to more prominent front and end panels. Bench seats with shaped bench ends in front of each block.
Later pulpit and great seat. Great seat with turned newels, the side benches being fronts of original pews, the main bench facing pulpit with turned balusters to back. Pulpit has panelled front with contrasted graining to panels, two-panel centre breaks forward with bookrest on brackets. Short steps up from each side with turned newel, ball finial and one turned baluster. Large panelled plain arch-headed pulpit-back.
Lobbies are later additions, boarded with small-paned overlights over double doors.
Plain plaster ceiling with no cornice. Acanthus rose in moulded ring to centre and four plain roundels.

Reason for designation

Included as a good example of a chapel in transitional phase from long-wall to gable fronts, with good surviving interior. Group value with the old bridge.