Presbyterian Chapel, Including Forecourt Walls and Railings

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the street behind its own walled and railed forecourt.

History

Traditionally called the `English Chapel'. Built in 1810 as a Chapel of Ease and licensed for divine service in 1813. From then until the construction of Christ Church in 1855, the chapel served as the town's only Anglican church. From 1855 until 1873 the chapel was converted for use as a national school; entrances on both sides (subsequently blocked) relate to alterations carried out during this period. The interior was refitted in simple style c.1907, from which date Presbyterian services were held here.

Exterior

Small former extra-parochial church; of local rubble construction with shallow slate roof with deep eaves. Short nave and square-headed choir, with advanced W tower in the centre of the front. The tower is of 3 stages and has a Celtic-type stone pyramidal roof; arched entrance to the ground floor stage, with simple 4-light radial fan and boarded door with modern ironwork. The second stage of the tower has a squat rectangular light with a modern clock face above (1996). A plain string course defines the upper stage. This has a large arched window with horizontal slatting. The nave W ends, flanking the tower, have arched windows with 4-pane glazing and fans as before; semi-circular lights above.

The side walls are of 3 bays and have arched windows as before. Each side has a blocked Tudor-arched entrance at both the E and W end. The E end has a large canted bay window with hipped roof and arched 3-light Y-tracery window; leaded lights with marginal glazing, obscured, plain glass elsewhere.

In front of the chapel is a long rectangular forecourt. This has tall coped rubble side walls terminating at the front in octagonal piers of squared, coursed stone; shallow conical capping. The front has a low coped wall of similar stone with surmounting spear-headed railings and simple central gates.

Interior

Plain interior with depressed segmentally-vaulted plaster ceiling and parquet floor; boarded dado panelling of pine (replaced on th S side). W inner porch of pine with blind trefoil and quatrefoil decoration and a 3-light central window with obscured glass; 6-panel doors to the L and R returns, the upper 4 glazed. W doors to R and L of this porch, that to the L with Gothic doors having segmental head and arched and quatrefoil panels; similar, square headed door to the R. Open Gothic railings of oak at the E end defining a raised Deacon's Enclosure; trefoil-headed arcading with square flanking newels. Unfixed Deacon's chair and reading desk to the L; simple Gothic style, in oak. The tower (serving as an entrance porch) has pine dado panelling and simple black/red tiled pavement.

Reason for designation

Listed as a distinctive late Georgian chapel retaining good original external character; the oldest surviving place of worship in the town.