History

Independent chapel of 1829-30 altered in 1870s. The congregation began to meet in Queen Street in 1792 and the first chapel was built in 1797 on land given by Dr David Davies. The congregation became independent in 1805. The 1829 chapel cost £1,000. Improvements were made in 1849 but the current gallery with pulpit and set fawr look of c1875 with the organ recess added possibly as late as 1937, the date of the present organ, by Conacher & Co. The ceiling looks late C19.

Exterior

Independent chapel, painted roughcast and stucco with slate pyramid hipped roof originally with overhanging bracketed eaves, cut back on front wall. Damaged late C19 roof vent on ridge. Rectangular plan with entrance on short wall to street.
Two-storey, 3-window front with raised plinth and quoins, arched openings with pilasters, moulded arches and keystones. Three upper windows, 2 doors and centre ground floor window, the doorheads lower than centre window head. Later C19 2-light and roundel tracery with painted glass roundels and coloured glass spandrels, similar tracery to fanlights of doors. Doors have long arched panels and are up 2 stone steps. Framed plaque over each door, oval in rectangular frame: left one with 'Salem Independent Chapel', right one with scrolled lettering and flourishes, '1797, rebuilt and enlarged An. Dom. 1829'.
Left side has overhanging eaves and one pair of brackets left, slate-hung upper floor with 2 arched windows, rendered ground floor with one arched window.
Right side is rendered with similar roof, 2 sets of brackets and similar windows, the upper ones with C20 glazing the lower one with Georgian Gothic intersecting bars in the head (presumably the original syle of all the windows). Stone sills.
Rear has centre gabled organ loft addition with canted walling in angles to original chapel. Big arched windows with Y-tracery, coloured glass margins and apex to each.

Interior

Galleried interior all of later C19 character, presumably of 1870s with organ loft and gallery of early C20, perhaps as late as 1937, date on organ. Timber gallery front in long panels with panelled pilasters between panels, curved angles, both to rear and to front where they are an alteration to link to organ gallery. Organ gallery probably c1937 with panelling below pierced square panels, 3 each side of round-headed pulpit back with pierced octofoil rose. Cornice below with raised brackets beneath pilasters, gallery on 9 iron columns. Painted grained pews in 3 blocks, double to centre, those to sides facing inward and raked up to side walls. Curved set fawr with panels and moulded rail. Pulpit platform has panelled base and balusters above, curving back from centre panelled book-rest to panelled newels with finials, then curving again to outer newels at heads of curving stairs with simlar balusters and newels. Small corner timber lobbies under gallery ends with double doors, overlights with marginal glazing and windows into chapel also with marginal glazing. Stick balusters to stairs up to gallery, turning at right angles. Gallery has raked pews with shaped bench ends and large panels to backs, gallery ends have steps down to organ loft. Large arched windows in canted sides have surrounds with horizontal fluting and rosettes, coloured glass margins and stained glass in top pane above Y-tracery. Large organ of 1937 by Conacher.
Vestry behind has 4-bay plastered ceiling.
Plaster walls, C20 uPVC glazing to side windows retaining coloured glass roundels.
Later C19 boarded ceiling with ribs outlining a border with square pierced panels at corners, ribs across from angles and centre of long sides to centre roundel framing large and ornate plaster rose with pierced centre pendant. Two smaller roundels with pierced roses. Moulded plaster cornice.

Reasons for Listing

Included as substantial pyramid-roofed chapel of 1829 with external and internal detail of 1870s.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Salem Independent Chapel at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q24183241

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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