History

English Baptist Chapel of 1906 designed by James & Morgan of Cardiff, built by R.T. Burns of Bargoed, to hold 1000 people at a cost of £3000. The founders had begun worshipping together through the leadership of John Llewellen of the Rhymney Railway Company in halls across the street and the first baptisms took place near the Bargoed viaduct in 1896. Plans had been drawn up in that year by D. Morgan but only the schoolrooms were built by 1899.

Exterior

A gable-fronted chapel on a sloping site with basement schoolrooms. Built in a free Edwardian style in red brick with extensive grey Forest of Dean ashlar dressings and slate roofs with overhanging eaves. The 3-bay, 2-storey facade has flanking twin projecting stair turrets, rising from square to semi-octagonal, topped with pinnacled hipped roofs and tall lead finials. The main front rises higher with coped gable, ashlar flush outer angle piers with ball finials, finials at mid height above the main pilasters and gable with 2 flush ashlar bands, a plaque between, and ornate vase finial. The central bay is flanked by pilasters and has a cornice inscribed 'Hanbury Road Baptist Chapel'. A large 3-light arched window beneath it has deep-chamfered rusticated flush jambs, moulded imposts, moulded arch with keystone and moulded deep sill. It also has leaded glazing, the outer lights camber-headed, the broader centre light with slightly ogee head. Moulded timber course above continuing impost course and big fanlight with square-paned glazing. The ground floor centre has a fine ashlar feature freely-styled with arched central entrance, panelled doors and deep fanlight (covered by painted name board), 2 small arched windows flanking, their heads slightly higher than the main arch head. These are flanked by pilasters. A frieze over is broken forward over pilasters, with half-circle arcading over side lights and fluting over the door. Half-round caps above pilasters and central steep pediment with ornate cartouche and vase finial. Moulded cornice below side-windows and ashlar below with recessed inscribed panels. This dado-level ashlar is continued around the square bases of the turrets, which have a small window on the inner faces and fine panelled front doors, in ashlar frames with consoled cornices and small pediments. The shaped parapet above has a half-round dip at the outer angles, and corner ball finials. The half-octagonal upper storeys have three small 12-pane windows in flush ashlar surrounds with flush sill bands and eaves bands.

The front railings have tapering ashlar piers with cornices and steep pyramid caps. Scrolled cresting to iron rails.

The rendered 6-window side walls are 2-storey, dropping to 4 towards rear, and have flat-headed windows.

Interior

Impressive, ornate and colourful interior of 1906. Deep 3-sided gallery with curved angles carried on painted columns with foliate capitals cast by Macfarlane & Co of Glasgow. Second range of columns from gallery supports roof trusses. Roof is three-sided with thin and complex mock-hammerbeam type trusses, including arched-braces with open roundels in spandrels. Deeply raked gallery has projected timber cornice under continuous bowed iron frontal. This is double curved in profile with solid fluted lower curve and very ornate pierced iron work to main part, roughly to a pattern of pointed arches infilled with complex anthemion-derived leaf scrolls. Pitch pine pews, canted in on side ranks towards the pulpit. Impressively tiered pulpit, with open-back great seat, much elevated pulpit platform with curved stairs each side. Panelled platform front with low balustrades, each side of projecting panelled pulpit. Behind is timber choir gallery with panelling under open panels with dwarf balustrades. Gallery steps back to very large organ behind in deep arched recess, organ panelled below 5-bay pipe-front. Arched entries into rear at ground and gallery level each side, lower left stained glass window over 6-panel doors, glass made by G. Maile of Canterbury. Other unsigned, of after 1937, showing the Baptism of Christ. Ventilators in the side walls made by Baker of Newport.

Three-sided ceiling, boarded on sides, plaster on top, the plaster panels have stencilled borders, and ornate square ventilation panels also with stencilled borders.

Coloured glass to entrance lobby.

Extensive accommodation to rear of building on 3 levels, vestry behind pulpit, schoolroom below and cellars below again. The schoolroom has fine glazed folding doors, coved ceiling and adjoining ancillary rooms.

Reasons for Listing

Listed grade II* as a remarkably complete and well-detailed early C20 South Wales chapel, retaining all its furnishings.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Bargoed Library official website
• Wikidata Q17739752

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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