Penllwyn Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, chapel house and schoolroom including railings and gates

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the N side of the A44 just E of the road junction in the centre of the village.

History

Calvinsitic Methodist chapel of 1850, replacing chapel of 1821, itself replacing thatched chapel first built in 1790. Howel Harris the Methodist evangelist visited Llwyniorwerth in the area in 1763. Dr Lewis Edwards 1809-87, native of the village, founder of Bala College 1837, is commemorated by a bronze bust outside, unveiled 1911. A British School opened in the chapel schoolroom in 1855, one of the early monitors there was Sir John Rhys. A bronze age burial urn was found in the chapel graveyard.

Exterior

Chapel, unpainted render with stucco dressings, slate roof and paired brackets to eaves. Long-wall front of 5 bays, four arched windows and centre door. Angle quoins. Windows are small-paned with radiating bars to heads and have moulded arched hoods with keystones linked by a string course at impost level. In the centre a similar moulded arch and keystone above the string course frames date plaque 'Penllwyn a adeiladwyd yn y flwyddyn MDCCCL' also with dates 1790, 1821 and name J James. Door below is broad with similar moulded arched head, radiating-bar fanlight and panelled double doors. Rubble stone right end wall with 2 arched windows, stone voussoirs. Boarded loft door with stone voussoirs. Brackets under overhanging gable verge. Similar 4- window rear.
Chapel house set back to left, lower 2-storey, 2-window range with bracketed eaves and brick left end stack. Nine-pane sashes above, 12-pane to ground floor left and board door with overlight to right. Behind is schoolroom set higher on bank. Long range with later C19 brick-framed side windows on W, 3-light with top-lights, but 2 square 16-pane sashes with cambered brick heads to E perhaps of mid C19 date.
Attached to front of chapel are iron railings on rubble stone low wall rebuilt in C20. Knob-topped rails, and double gates with bands of half-circles at mid and bottom rails.

Interior

Broad interior without galleries, but still seating some 500 people. Entry is to centre of one side, with pulpit on end wall to left. Painted grained numbered box pews in 4 blocks raked up to right in 10 steps, the side blocks of pews are narrow, and block on wall opposite entry continues on flat, whereas a cross-aisle from centre entry divides off 2 centre blocks on flat from raked pews. Two blocks of inward facing pews on end wall each side of pulpit. Pews are panelled with moulded surrounds to prominent end and front panels, and rear pews have ramped top rails. Centre door has later lobby inside, part-glazed with double half-glazed doors. Heavy carved wood pulpit with turned balusters to steps up each side, heavy ramped stair rails and turned newels with ball finials. Platform sides have low balustrades over panels and broad pulpit front projects with canted panelled sides. Front has 2 horizontal panels between panelled piers with heavy console brackets carrying bookrest. Simple plaster arch behind with paired console brackets to capitals and moulded arch. Set fawr similar to pulpit, the bench facing the pulpit with baluster back and turned newels, but the sides simply benches affixed to the fronts of original box pews, with later C19 newel posts attached to ends.
Plain plaster ceiling with moulded cornice, small acanthus rose and plain roundels.

Reason for designation

Included as a complete and well proportioned chapel of 1850, with unusual broad interior, complete with raked box pews.