Ann Griffiths Memorial Chapel and Attached House (Dolwen), Llanfihangel, Powys

History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel of 1903, an unusual free-styled building of Arts and Crafts Gothic type designed by George Dickens-Lewis of Shrewsbury and built as a memorial to Ann Griffiths, the hymnographer. The original complex consists of the chapel to the left (west), with its vestry wing to the rear of a courtyard to the right; this was later extended by the addition of a house to the right of the courtyard. The stone is local, believed to have been quarried at Mill Farm.

Exterior

The chapel and other buildings are in rock-faced informally coursed masonry with larger quoins, ashlar dressings and slate roofs; the style of the chapel is Arts and Crafts influenced free Gothic, and that of the other building is vernacular.

The chapel has a coped and lead-dressed shouldered front gable with an empty bellcote at its apex. Raised pier each side just in from the outer angle, the piers rising to small corniced caps, echoed slightly lower by caps on the outer angles. The bellcote has a chamfered Tudor-arched opening and a stepped head with 3 corniced caps, as on the gable angles. The centre of the gable wall has two deeply sloping buttresses, apparently rising through a flat-roofed porch to frame the centre window. The porch door is between the buttresses and there are curved walls each side. The coping of this porch is lead-dressed. Three ashlar chamfered lancets above, the taller centre lancet between the buttresses. Hoodmoulds and leaded glazing. The masonry is banded ashlar, one band at springing of the centre lancet, one just below at springing of the outer lancets, the upper band running out to the foot of the gable coping, the lower band continued around the outer piers. Another band at sill level also continues around the piers and runs into the ashlar low parapet to the curved porch. This parapet has slight upsweep to its centre, over a moulded cambered central arch. This ashlar band is carried across the buttresses which form the jambs of the doorway. The rounded side walls each have an ashlar single light with another band at sill level, broken forward at the buttresses.

The left side wall is of three bays, with two gabled buttresses between three pairs of ashlar lancets with leaded lights. Ashlar flush sill band. Right side is similar but of two bays, with one buttress.

The chapel roof has the leaded base of a (missing) ventilator on its ridge and is half-hipped behind the front bellcote.

Vestry wing: The rear range has centre stone eaves-dormer with a shouldered gable. Flush two-light leaded stone mullion window. Below is similar three-light window with ashlar bands at head and sill. To left is framed board door with an ashlar lintel. The flush band at sill level of the window is continued at the other side of door, but the band at window head level stops before door, whose lintel is slightly lower. Both bands terminate at the construction joint where the later domestic wing adjoins.

The later domestic wing at the right has a slightly higher roof with a red-brick stack at its rear. To the courtyard there is a plain door in the angle to left with a lone single light above breaking eaves under a shouldered gable. The end gable facing the road is coped and lead-dressed. Ashlar four-light mullion window to each storey, the upper one recessed under an ashlar segmental-pointed arch, the lower one flush and with longer narrower lights. This lower window has a rough stone relieving arch. The outer side (to right) has a projecting wing with big red brick ridge stack. Small chamfered wall across angle at ground floor with ashlar single small light. Side of wing has ground floor two-light window with rough stone relieving arch. The gable end is rendered above the first floor window. Four-light upper window with hood-mould and two-light lower window right of centre. The window frames of the domestic wing have been replaced in upvc but with respect for the openings and thinner than usual sections.

Interior

The porch has a stone interior; the chapel a plastered white-painted interior. The chapel is entered from the porch via two rough stone pointed arches.

The interior is broad and light, and lacks galleries. The roof is boarded and steep, of three-bays; the collar trusses are arch-braced with hammer-beams carried on four large carved head corbels with lettering naming them: these are Ann Griffiths of Dolwar Fechan, the Rev John Hughes of Pontrobert, David Davies of Neuadd and the Rev. R. Roberts of Dolanog. the roof is ceiled at collar level. Dark stained pews in three blocks, but with a staggered centre division dividing the seating into two parts corresponding to the two entrances. Boarded dado. The right side wall has a broad opening with a panelled screen opening into the vestry.

The pulpit is in a square enclosure (without seating) defined by Arts and Crafts timber railings with stick balusters linked by horseshoe arches, square newels and moulded caps. The side railings are stepped up once towards the back, the front rail is short with a newel each end and a small table to the centre with outswept supports and a flattened ogee head to the opening beneath. The pulpit has two steps up to the platform, similar railings returned to newels, each side of the taller single-panel pulpit front with an embroidered angel in the panel under the bookrest. The newels carry tall metal lampstands and oil lamps with etched glass globes. Behind the pulpit is dark stained timber panelling in seven tall fielded panels with square panels above, the latter infilled with patterned cloth. A long cornice extends out to each side to carry curtains in similar cloth which hang down to the dado.

The vestry has a similar dado and a small stone fireplace.

Reasons for Listing

A remarkable chapel complex, in free Gothic and free C17 vernacular styles influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. Also listed for its important historic interest through the association with Ann Griffiths.

External Links

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