Former Cemetery Chapel

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in a prominent position to the S of the cemetery on the NE side of the town.

History

Cemetery chapel, now marine life exhibition, 1853-5 by William Rogers, of Cannon Row, Westminster, James Rogers of Tenby builder. Built as the parochial burial chapel in Gothic style with spirelet, to which style and ornament there were objections from the chapels of the town. The original tender price was £508 but the committee decided not to build a tower. It may be that it was finally built to the original design as the engraving in Tenby Museum shows the thin tower and spire as built. The graveyard was finished by 1858, but the site was criticised for the steep access, difficult for hearses. Sold in later C20, in use 2001 as Silent World, marine life and reptile exhibition.

Exterior

Former cemetery chapel, squared grey limestone with Bath stone dressings and slate roof with coped shouldered gables. Dec Gothic style single rectangular vessel with thin tower and octagonal spirelet at NW corner. N front has lancet with hoodmould over pointed doorway, both double chamfered with hoodmoulds, the door hood linked to a string course each side. Raised plinth. Tooled limestone buttresses clasping angles. Double board doors with C20 glazing to overlight.
Five-bay sides with ashlar corbelled eaves and buttresses. W side has tower rising on first bay, pair of cusped lancets in second, single cusped lancet to third and fourth and blank fifth bay. E side is similar but with blank first bay.
Tower has tall lancet to ground floor, chamfered ashlar coping above chapel eaves height, then square inset second stage with flat buttresses clasping angles, chamfered ashlar plinth above to thin octagonal bell-stage with lancets on cardinal faces and ashlar spire above.
S end wall has clasping buttresses at angles, 2-light traceried window with cusped lights and cinquefoil head. Hoodmould and string course under sill.

Interior

Internal porch with boarded ribbed ceiling. Plaque of 1854 with names of Rev W Hayward Cox, rector and J M Henton and T Thomas, churchwardens. Three-sided roof on 4 tie-beam trusses with queen-posts and curved angle struts, carried on wall-posts down to wall-posts. Patterned stained glass with texts to 2-light end window to W L Duckworth (d 1846).

Reason for designation

Included as a substantial cemetery chapel in ecclesiastical Gothic, set in a landscaped cemetery.