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Latitude: 53.1851 / 53°11'6"N
Longitude: -3.4194 / 3°25'9"W
OS Eastings: 305247
OS Northings: 366273
OS Grid: SJ052662
Mapcode National: GBR 6M.39W6
Mapcode Global: WH771.F6YL
Plus Code: 9C5R5HPJ+26
Entry Name: Capel Mawr including associated School-room and forecourt railings
Listing Date: 2 February 1981
Last Amended: 20 July 2000
Grade: II*
Source: Cadw
Source ID: 974
Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Also known as: Capel Mawr Including Associated School-room And Forecourt Railings
ID on this website: 300000974
Calvinistic-Methodist chapel, in its present form of 1880; this replaces a chapel of 1829, itself a remodelling of an earlier predecessor, the C18 `Middle Chapel.' A schoolroom was added to the N in 1892. Thomas Gee junior, son of Thomas Gee the famous publisher and printer, became the prominent preacher at the chapel in the 1890s.
Large late-Victorian chapel in restrained Italianate style. Of limestone construction with symmetrical ashlared facade and slate roof, half-hipped to the gable ends; 2 metal louvres. Four-bay, single-storey porch block advanced to the centre. This has a pair of round-arched entrances with flanking arched windows; projecting imposts and keystones. Six-(sunk)panel doors with plain segmental fanlights. Flanking and end pilasters supporting a plain entablature with moulded cornice. Surmounting this is a columnar stone balustrade with moulded rail. The porch returns have similar arched windows; all have plain sashes with marginal glazing. Flanking the porch are further, square-headed entrances with plain pilasters supporting entablatures; doors as before, with plain rectangular fans. To the L and R (respectively) of these entrances are tall outer stair windows, arched and glazed as before, with corbelled sills, flush voussoirs and projecting keystones. The upper, gallery floor, has 4 further, similar arched windows with continuous moulded label running the length of the facade. Modillion eaves cornice. The L gable end, facing Beacon's Hill, has three 8-pane sashes to each floor, with cambered heads and marginal glazing.
Adjoining the chapel at its northern corner, with its facade facing Beacon's Hill, is the School Room. This consists of a large hall raised above a basement storey with a high chamfered plinth. Asymmetrical limestone ashlar facade with moulded wooden cornice and hipped slate roof; 2 metal louvres. Of 5 bays, the second (from L) is advanced and gabled and has moulded bargeboards and an end chimney with simply-decorated capping. This bay has a 16-light recessed sash window with further 3-light section above; flat stone lintel and projecting sill. Above this is a stringcourse, continued onto the other bays as an eaves course; raised date to the gable apex: 'AD 1892.' The flanking L bay and the 2 bays to the R have similar, narrower windows of 12 panes. The right-hand bay is recessed and has a narrow 6-pane window, similar to those before, and a recessed 6-panel door to the return with moulded panels and a 6-pane rectangular overlight. 12-pane sashes to the basement with an entrance to the advanced bay; part-glazed double doors with rectangular overlight.
The chapel and schoolroom are fronted by low forecourt walls of rough-dressed rubble with dressed, chamfered copings. These step down in stages from the upper to the lower end of Chapel Street, and then turn at right-angles to follow the line of the descending Beacon's Hill. to a point immediately beyond the schoolroom. At the upper end, to the R of the chapel, and at the lower end, opposite the schoolroom entrance, are stone gatepiers with chamfered bases and pyramidal capping stones. Opposite the chapel porch are a pair of larger, rusticated gatepiers with similar capping. Simple iron gates to these, together with a surviving stretch of similar railings sweeping from these piers down to the point at which the chapel meets the schoolroom.
Entrance passage with geometric pavement having counter-changed yellow/red/black tiles. The partition wall dividing the entrance passage from the chapel proper has dado boarding and has a central window with stained glass above a simple World War II stone memorial. The chapel entrances lead off to the L and R and have part-glazed double doors with engraved and frosted glass, and leaded glazing to the margins.
Fine chapel interior with pine joinery throughout. U-shaped gallery supported on fluted cast iron colonnettes with foliated capitals; this is cantilevered-out on scrolled brackets and has modillion decoration and a panelled face with moulded surmounting rail. Six tiers of pew seating to main and gallery floors, the latter raking. Set fawr with curved enclosing rails having panelled lower section and surmounting decorative iron arcading; turned balusters and newels with geometric finials. Central, semi-octagonal pulpit with flanking curved stair approaches, detailed as before. The pulpit has a panelled front with pierced decoration, fluted columns and foliated capitals. Raised up behind the Set fawr and pulpit is a large organ with turned gallery balustrade. Tripartite upper section with half-round projections flanking a wide, depressed-arched central section with pierced spandrels; shallow pediment with pierced decoration above a central console with flanking panelled (lower) sections.
The ceiling has 15 panels (5 with floral centrepieces), with 2 cast iron decorative ceiling vents.
Listed Grade II* for its special interest as a particularly fine late C19 galleried chapel retaining good original character, including a fine interior.
Group value with other listed items in Chapel Street.
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.
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