History in Structure

Sion Independent Chapel

A Grade II Listed Building in Troed-y-rhiw, Merthyr Tydfil

More Photos »
Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.7237 / 51°43'25"N

Longitude: -3.3644 / 3°21'51"W

OS Eastings: 305856

OS Northings: 203661

OS Grid: SO058036

Mapcode National: GBR HP.2NGD

Mapcode Global: VH6CY.MXRY

Plus Code: 9C3RPJFP+F7

Entry Name: Sion Independent Chapel

Listing Date: 8 February 1999

Last Amended: 29 July 2003

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 21318

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

ID on this website: 300021318

Location: Situated on corner of Chapel Street and Cardiff Street, behind narrow railed forecourt with stone gatepiers.

County: Merthyr Tydfil

Town: Merthyr Tydfil

Community: Troed-y-rhiw

Community: Troed-y-Rhiw

Locality: Abercanaid

Built-Up Area: Merthyr Tydfil

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Chapel

Find accommodation in
Troed-y-rhiw

History

Independent Chapel of 1860, designed by Jonathan Reynolds of Merthyr, built by Thomas Williams of Pentyrch, for £572. Altered and vestry added in 1864 by the Rev. Thomas Thomas of Landore for £500. Altered with fine Art Nouveau metal gallery front in 1908.

Exterior

Chapel, stucco with two-storey gabled facade possibly of 1864, and slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles, and small finial to front. Pedimental gable, with bracketed moulded timber cornice and moulded verges. In raised letters: 'Sion Addoldy'r Annibynwyr. Adeiladwyd 1860. Helaethwyd 1864. Adnewyddwyd 1908'. Four arched windows to upper storey, with narrower gap between centre two, all equal height, with channelled rustication up to level of moulded impost band carried around arched heads with keystones. Angle quoins. Larger stucco string course between storeys. Rusticated ground floor with 2 cambered-headed windows flanking broad cambered-headed doorway, all with voussoirs, door with keystone. Panelled wooden double doors with stained glass leaded lights over. All windows are 2-light with transom and leaded lights. Plain rendered side wall with plinth to right of 5 bays, 2 storeys. Cambered-headed windows to upper storey, smaller square-headed windows below. First bay has no ground floor window. Left side similar, rear obscured by attached vestry.

Interior

Highly ornate interior, largely of 1908, with exceptional 3-sided gallery. Gallery is supported on 7 painted cast iron fluted columns with florid capitals, perhaps of earlier date than the gallery, which projects far out from columns on deep horizontal brackets. Gallery front, curved at angles, has fine wrought-iron balustrade, double-curved in profile and elaborately scrolled. Main motif is a large beaten copper cartouche in scrollwork with scrolls each side and then plain vertical bars. There are two such motifs to each long side and one to rear. Gallery has deeper rear, and raked pitch-pine pews with boarded backs. Lower pews similar with 2 aisles. Balustraded great seat with ball-finial newels, probably of 1908, as also the pulpit which has similar detail to twin stairs. Fine pulpit with convex and concave curve to either side with low balustrades over panels. Deep top cornice with moulded dentils, a distinctive feature of much of the internal woodwork, over 2-bay front with unusual triangular heads over three panelled pilasters. Fine quality painted graining in four shades. Pulpit back of 1908 has 6-bay panelling, long panels under square panels, all diagonally-slatted in opposed directions. Pilasters between, except to centre pair which are carried up a further stage under curved cornice with keystone support for clock. Painted scroll on back wall: 'Sancteiddrwydd a wedda i'th Dy, O Arglwydd, Byth '. Decorative panelled ceiling, also probably of 1908, in timber and plaster. Moulded timber beams with dentils, in 5 main panels with narrower panels flanking. Large pierced cusped gothic timber brackets from wall corbels to beam intersections where there are pendant finials. Plaster panels all have moulded timber borders with rebated angles, and centre panels each have a raised octagonal timber vent, with moulded dentilled surround to pierced fretwork inset panel.
Vestry of 1864, to left of pulpit, probably refitted in 1908, has panelled, folding screen with glazing over. Three-sided slatted ceiling, ceiled at collar level with arched braces rising from small corbels.

Reasons for Listing

Included mainly for fine early C20 interior with unusual iron and copper gallery front, and panelled ceiling.

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.