History in Structure

Aberfan Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

A Grade II Listed Building in Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil

More Photos »
Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6921 / 51°41'31"N

Longitude: -3.346 / 3°20'45"W

OS Eastings: 307060

OS Northings: 200123

OS Grid: SO070001

Mapcode National: GBR HQ.4M29

Mapcode Global: VH6D4.YQGN

Plus Code: 9C3RMMR3+VJ

Entry Name: Aberfan Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

Listing Date: 8 February 1999

Last Amended: 17 February 2003

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 21316

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: Capel Aberfan

ID on this website: 300021316

Location: Prominently situated on main road at N end of terrace row, set in raised forecourt with stone gate piers.

County: Merthyr Tydfil

Town: Merthyr Tydfil

Community: Merthyr Vale (Ynys-wen)

Community: Merthyr Vale

Locality: Aberfan

Built-Up Area: Aberfan

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Chapel

Find accommodation in
Troed-y-rhiw

History

Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, built 1876. Foundation stone laid by Sarah Griffiths, wife of the owner of the Aberfan Estate. Pipe organ installed as memorial to the Aberfan disaster of 1966.

Exterior

1876 Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in rock-faced pennant stone, with sandstone dressings. Slate roof. Simple classical front with pedimental gable. 2 storey, 3 bay facade with first-floor rusticated pilasters over long-and-short quoins to outer margins of ground-floor. Plaque inscribed " Aberfan " to gable, flanked by pair of roundels, with blank quatrefoil panel above. Cornice above second storey windows, stucco band between storeys. Arched windows to upper storey with single window to each side of triplet in centre, the openings linked by architrave surrounds with keyblocks and moulded inposts. Ground floor has flat-headed windows with rusticated voussoirs, and arched large door with sandstone pilasters, voussoirs and keystone. Pair of 4-panelled wooden doors with radiating-bar fanlight over. Original horned sash windows with marginal glazing bars. Coloured glass to central triplet and fanlight.
Rendered plain 4-bay sides, with stucco band, arched windows above, and flat-headed windows below.

Interior

Interior of 1876. Three-sided gallery with curved angles, on 7 thin, cast-iron columns, with plain capitals, made by J P Biddle of Merthyr. Gallery front has painted graining of high quality. Long horizontal panels, separated by pilasters. The long panels have inset framed panels vertically boarded, and the pilasters have arch-ended panels and triple brackets as capitals. Centre clock framed by similar pilasters. Painted cornice below and moulded top rail. Lower cornice has paired brackets aligned with the pilasters. Raked pitch-pine gallery pews, with panelled boarded backs and simple bench-ends, curved to angles. Similar main pews in 2 aisles, but more ornamental bench-ends. Small timber pulpit with side stairs with turned balusters and ball-finial newels. Pulpit projects slightly from platform, with panelled front. Dwarf balustrade over panels to sides. Large, later C20, wall-mounted pipe organ on rear wall, erected in memory of the 1966 Aberfan Disaster. Plaster ceiling lacking centre rose (removed late C20), but with small, stucco roundels to corners and above triplet window. Simple painted banded stucco cornice. Entrance lobby has centre window with coloured glass and 4-panel doors.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its architectural interest as a well-designed Victorian chapel with unaltered stone facade, prominent in Aberfan, and retaining interior with good gallery.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

BritishListedBuildings.co.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact BritishListedBuildings.co.uk for any queries related to any individual listed building, planning permission related to listed buildings or the listing process itself.

British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website.