Capel Pendref

Cadw's description

Location

An isolated building on the N side of the junction with Pavilion Road.

History

Pendref was founded as an Independent chapel in 1791 (date on building) and is the oldest surviving non-conformist cause in Caernarfon. Town plans of 1810 and 1834 show that the chapel was set back from the street behind a row of cottages facing Bangor Street, which have subsequently been demolished. The present chapel is a rebuilding and enlargement of the original building in 1862, while the set fawr and pulpit were remodelled in 1881.

Exterior

A classical style chapel with a scribed roughcast front, and a slate roof hipped to the front behind a parapet, with a ridge ventilator. The entrance is raised above street level and reached by stone steps R and L with iron railings. The doorway has a rusticated surround with dentilled cornice. It has 2 Tuscan columns in antis framing double fielded-panel doors and similar side panels. To the R and L are small round-headed, round-backed niches. At the upper level are 4 gallery windows, which have small-pane glazing and a moulded sill band. The 2 central windows have corbelled sills, architraves with triangular pediments on fluted consoles. The outer windows have similar architraves with segmental pediments. The parapet is on a moulded cornice and has Tuscan pilasters and coping, with central low pediment bearing the date 1791 in raised numerals.

The side walls and rear are pebble-dashed. The side walls have 4 gallery windows with segmental-headed 12-pane sashes, while the lower level has 3 similar sashes and a smaller stair window with 16-pane sash to the front. The sashes are hornless to the L side, horned to the R side. The rear has 2 segmental-headed sash windows with coloured marginal glazing and intersecting tracery with etched glass. A single-storey lean-to vestry is lower R and has 2 boarded up windows.

Interior

The vestibule has a window into the main chapel with intersecting Gothic glazing bars and coloured and etched glass. Double doors lead to the main chapel, which are panelled on the vestibule side only. Gallery stairs to the L and R are in 2 flights with panelled doors to landings. The ceiling of the main chapel has a moulded cornice and arched coving to large square panels with moulded ribs, diagonal-boarded infill and roses to the centre and corner panels. A 3-sided raked gallery is carried on cast iron posts. The gallery front projects on iron brackets and has subsidiary moulded wooden brackets and panelled soffit. The front is panelled with moulded relief ornament and a clock by Hughes & Co of Caernarfon. The set fawr has an open balustrade of 1881 above panelling of 1862. The 1881 pulpit has round-arched panels, with consoles supporting a book rest, and is flanked by curved steps with turned balusters and newels. Behind the pulpit is a reredos composed of pairs of Corinthian pilasters, moulded cornice and round arch with 2 orders of relief decoration including an anthemion frieze. A door on the L side of the pulpit leads to a small vestry. The main chapel has low panelled box pews, while the gallery has benches with moulded ends, all of 1862.

Reason for designation

Listed grade II* as a well-preserved C19 chapel with strong architectural character and a fine interior mainly of 1862, and for its contribution to the historic townscape.