Chapel House

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the road midway between the Old Market Hall and the corner with Smithfield Street. The largest of the Llanidloes Chapels.

History

Dated 1872-74; said to be by Rev William Jones. The hall at the rear is possibly earlier and in fact the building refered to in the 1843 registration application. Restored 1983-86.

Exterior

5-window front, advanced, taller and pedimented to centre. Snecked rubble with freestone dressings including plinth band and quoins. Slate roofs; fishscale tiles to hipped cross roofs over outer bays. Pediment has weathervane and acroteria - repeated on flanking balustrades. Central punched roundel window within a semicircular headed architrave and bracket cornice below. Sash windows with marginal galzing bars. 3 central windows linked by continuous stilted hoodmould with tall keystones over quatrefoil oculi; cylindrical columns with grooved annulets and Corinthian carved capitals with impost bands. Windows to outer bays are set in a full height round arched headed recess and have bracket cills and impost bands as before; punched band between floors. Projecting open porch to centre with channelled rustication; 3 - round arches to front and one to the sides. Panelled parapet, pierced over outer arches and with inscription to centre; nook shafts to piers with annulettes and capital detail as above. Paired entrances with panelled double doors, fanlights and hoodmoulds; stone memorial tablet to Humphrey Gwalchmai between, by R Jerman, Railed forecourt with gates to either end and panelled stone gate piers; one cast-iron lamp standard retained.
6 - bay side elevations with windows as on the front outer bays; slate hung to left and brick to right; slate hung rear with organ chamber projection. Extending slightly off centre to rear is a 7-bay schoolroom and chapel hall, largely single-storey with dividing pilasters to each bay; slate hung to left and polychrome brick to right. Round arched headed metal frame small pane windows and camber-headed lower windows at rear end; boarded doors. Rear gable end has 2 chimney stacks and attached is the L - shaped brick and slate hung Caretaker's house with some sash windows, blue brick lean - to and iron gate with decorative finials opening onto a cobbled path.

Interior

Classical interior with raked gallery; designed to hold a congregation of over 1,000. Ceiling composed of 4 main panels with smaller bordering ones; deep ribs inset with arabesque carved ventilators; large ceiling rose to centre and smaller roses to main panels. Modillion cornice with console brackets. Panelled gallery front carried on cast iron fluted columns with foliage carved capitals. Railed platform with imitation marble colonnettes to big seat. Iron trusses to hall roof and fine ironwork balustrade to the raked gallery, bellow which is a panelled room.

Reason for designation

Group value.