History in Structure

Capel Salem (Capel y Cwm) old chapel

A Grade II Listed Building in Bonymaen (Bôn-y-maen), Swansea

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6449 / 51°38'41"N

Longitude: -3.9123 / 3°54'44"W

OS Eastings: 267782

OS Northings: 195740

OS Grid: SS677957

Mapcode National: GBR WXT.43

Mapcode Global: VH4K4.4XLF

Plus Code: 9C3RJ3VQ+X3

Entry Name: Capel Salem (Capel y Cwm) old chapel

Listing Date: 23 July 1999

Last Amended: 22 October 2003

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 22092

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: Salem Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

ID on this website: 300022092

Location: Situated approximately 120m W of the junction of Cwm Chapel Road and Mansel Road; forward to E of the later chapel.

County: Swansea

Town: Swansea

Community: Bonymaen (Bôn-y-maen)

Community: Bonymaen

Built-Up Area: Swansea

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Chapel

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History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel dated 1782-3, improved 1823, galleried 1831 and improved again 1889. Converted to schoolroom when the big adjoining chapel was built in 1903-5. Floor inserted in C20. It is said that in 1822-3 the old chapel was demolished and rebuilt larger with chapel house and stable to the right and that alterations were made c1867 by John Humphrey that included raising the roof, reseating and the addition of front lobby. The long narrow lights are typical of Humphrey. It is likely therefore that the present appearance is largely of c1867. Gutted and roofless June 2003.

Exterior

Former chapel, now vestries. Rendered rubble stone with slate hipped roof and facade on long wall. Facade originally had 2 large arched centre windows and 2 doors under 2 large arched gallery lights. 1889 alterations included a triple-gabled porch, a long narrow arched outer stair light each side and possibly the centre keyed roundel window, certainly the wooden quatrefoil tracery. Glazing is generally altered: 2 centre windows boarded over. Porch has 3 gables, centre over arched entry, side ones over arched windows, and these also have smaller arched side windows. Parapet between gables, unpainted stucco.
Sides and rear are rubble stone with red brick window surrounds, 2-window range to sides, 3-window to rear. Left side has 2 cambered headed windows below, 2 long arched windows above. Rear has 3 similar windows above, middle one lengthened as door to outside escape. Ground floor windows are blocked, but had stone voussoirs not brick surrounds.

Interior

Interior much altered with floor inserted. Iron columns and lower cornice with brackets visible from ground floor, 2 inserted beams. Gallery was 5-sided probably of c1867. Upstairs gallery front removed, flat floor across, some raked pews survive. Plain moulded plaster cornice. Boarded later C19 ceiling with ribs in 4-pointed star pattern, centre roundel and 4 diamond ventilation panels.
Ground floor has some painted grained box pews with roll-mould top, c1867, and panelled curved 'set fawr', original pulpit removed for small low pulpit. Boarded later C19 ceiling with ribs to a 4-pointed star pattern.

Reasons for Listing

A substantial earlier C19 chapel enlarged c1867 with hipped roof and long-wall facade, relatively uncommon in area. Included for group value with the new chapel despite the loss of much of the interior.

External Links

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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