Capel Blaenplwyf including attached vestry and house range to rear

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in the centre of the village on the W side of the A487.

History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel of 1878, replacing one of 1802 altered 1819. It cost £1,000. There are architectural similarities to Maesglas chapel, Ysbyty Ystwyth, and Soar chapel, Tre'r ddol, the latter built by David Williams of Aberystwyth, but clearly based on designs by Richard Owens of Liverpool. Blaenplwyf chapel being simpler than Soar could be a design by Williams.

Exterior

Chapel, coursed brown rubble stone with dressings in blue/black and yellow brick. Slate roof, overhanging verges, plain bargeboards and timber finial. Gable front has centre large recess flanked by 2 narrow recesses, all triangular headed with 4 plain piers flanking. Yellow brick plinth broken forward for piers. The piers have black brick quoins and yellow brick at eaves level, and the triangular heads of the outer windows spring from these, in moulded yellow brick, black brick voussoirs and yellow brick apex diamond. Centre recess has black brick sides carried on up to yellow brick at springing of similarly detailed broad triangular head. Ground floor shallow gabled porch with bargeboards and yellow brick cambered-headed doorway. Double 3-panel doors, plain overlight and plaque 'Blaenplwyf M.C.' over. First floor row of 3 arched windows in yellow brick with moulded brick conjoined hoods stepped over keystones. Outer bays have similar long windows with hoods divided by a panelled stone lintel between floors. Foundation stone August 16th 1878 under each window. Marginal glazing bars and coloured glass in margins. Above triplet is yellow brick roundel with moulded arched yellow brick hood and 8-pointed louvred vent within. N side wall has pier at corner with facade and 4 tall arched windows in yellow brick surrounds. Yellow brick moulded eaves and plinth. S side is rendered except for corner pier, eaves and plinth. 3 windows, fourth bay covered by chapel house at right angles. Narrow stone and yellow brick 2-window, 2-storey front with C20 plastic glazing and door. Brick left end stack. The house is the S end of a lean-to vestry range across the rear of the chapel, rendered, half-hipped N end. Chapel gable above has boarded door in yellow brick surround.

Interior

Single gallery at entrance end with long horizontal panels and roundels over bracket cornice, on 2 iron columns. Ceiling with deep coved sides in 4 bays with timber ribs on corbels. Four panels with moulded surrounds and plaster roses. Numbered pitch-pine pews in 3 blocks, with shaped bench ends. Curved corners to set fawr with open balustrades back and ball-finials to newels. Ornate pulpit with short stairs up each side, turned balusters, ramped rails and turned newels with heavy bosses at joint with rails, and ball finials. Platform has contrasted coloured woodwork, short balustrading each side of pulpit, panelling below. Pulpit breaks forward with canted panelled sides and ornate panel front in contrasted colours with heavy carved consoles, carved cornice and bookrest. Panelling behind pulpit in lower part of tall stucco pedimented Corinthian aedicule that frames an arch with keystone, pilasters and moulded capitals. Doors each side to vestry. Lobby has 2 half-glazed doors and centre window with etched and coloured glass.

Reason for designation

Included as an ornate regional example of the large chapels of the later C19 with dressings in contrasted coloured bricks, and retaining interior with fine woodwork to set fawr and pulpit.