History

Founded as a Calvinist Methodist chapel in 1777, the chapel was successively remodelled/rebuilt in 1802, 1834, 1846 and 1864; the present building was constructed in 1893 and the congregation now belongs to the Presbyterian Church in Wales. The attached Sunday School was built in 1909.

Exterior

Chapel and attached Sunday School. Free Classical style to chapel with Art Nouveau influences detectable to Sunday School. Snecked rock-faced grey rubblestone blocks with heavily tooled lighter-coloured ashlar dressings to chapel; similarly laid but darker grey rubblestone to Sunday School; slate roofs. Entrance front in 2:3:2 pilastered bays, the centre 3 in higher and slightly projecting pedimented break, the outer sections with pediments to the returns. Windows all round-headed to upper stage with banded pilasters and keystones to moulded surrounds, those to the centre bays also with plain Doric columns separating the windows, the plain bases of the columns with the inscribed dates "1802, 1834, 1846 and 1864" from left to right; the windows themselves are all fixed light, 18-paned to centre bays, 12-paned to outer bays; blind rectangular panels above and below centre windows, over which rises the moulded pediment with blind oculus in scrolled surround to the centre. On the ground stage of the centre bays beneath a stone entablature inscribed "1777 CAPEL COCH 1893" are 3 round-headed arches with the same detailing as the windows above containing 4-panel doors with plain fanlights, separated by tapering Doric pilasters. The outer bays on the ground stage have paired 8-paned windows in plain banded surrounds. The return walls, including the slightly projecting pedimented end bays to the east, are in 5 pilastered bays (the south side is entirely slate hung) with a plain corbel table above the round-arched first-floor window openings; these contain 10-paned sashes with margin lights; similar 8-paned sashes with margin lights in rectangular openings to ground stage, both tiers of windows with continuous cill bands.

Lower Sunday School attached to west gable end has paired timber-framed gables breaking eaves roughly to centre containing full-height multi-paned sash windows with central mullions and fixed-light sections above high transoms; similar paired windows without the fixed-light sections to left and right. Entrance to far left has recessed doorway in gentle bow with inscribed date "1909" above recessed overlight and narrow windows to either side; hip-roofed porch to right with window to front and door to left return has tripartite sash window to right.

Interior

Splendid chapel interior has richly decorated ribbed and panelled plaster ceiling with exuberant ornamentation, including medallions, floral motifs, pendant ventilators and drop pendants for light fittings, the decoration being most elaborate to the 3 inner panels; egg and dart moulding to cornice, which has frieze below with enriched cushioned consoles supported by plain full-height pilasters with gilded Corinthian capitals partly concealed by gallery. This is panelled with dentilled cornice to underside supported by 7 fluted cast-iron columns; Victorian clock at entrance lobby end. Raking box pews to both gallery and ground floor. Set fawr has panelled enclosure with Jacobean detailing to turned balusters and finials, lectern dated "1901", panelled pulpit and organ loft behind; there are also 2 chairs dated "1893". The carved organ occupies the full space of the round-arched recess with fluted Corinthian pilasters, moulded surround and key-block. Low half-glazed doors with stained glass in wall to either side of set fawr lead to Sunday School and rooms beyond. At the other end of the chapel half-glazed double doors lead to the entrance lobby, which has a round-headed window with stained glass in internal wall, encaustic tile floor and opposed staircases with square newels, chamfered to the top with ball finials, leading to the gallery.

The Sunday School, which is approached up steps from the doors to either side of the set fawr, has its own simpler set fawr with pedimented capitals to the newels of the enclosure in round-headed arch with key-block; hammerbeam roof in 4 bays with boarded ceiling; woodblock floor. Further 2 rooms beyond Sunday School, the smaller having a staircase with square newel and turned balusters rising to upper floor, the larger with a folding half-glazed screen to form smaller spaces.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at Grade II* as a very fine example of a late C19 town chapel with an exceptionally fine interior and a good slightly later Sunday School attached.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17744345

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

• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)