History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel of 1906-7 designed by the Rev William Jones of Pentre, Rhondda, replacing a chapel of 1830. It cost £1,700. The unusual name refers to the Valley of Blessing where Josaphat and the men of Judah rested after being delivered from the forces of Ammon, Moab and Edom (II Chron. 20, 26).

Exterior

Chapel, rock-faced coursed brown stone with grey sandstone ashlar dressings, slate roof and red terracotta ridge tiles. Two-storey winged gable front with centre moulded pediment, and narrow wings with parapets, returned windowless on side elevations. Plinth, moulded first floor sill course, outer flush quoins. Raised piers and pilasters flanking centre. Ground floor piers are ashlar with rock-faced stone, upper floor has ashlar pilasters with moulded capitals. Pediment has apex block and iron finial. Wing parapets are ramped up with minimal corbelling below, raised angle blocks and squat square moulded finials. Ashlar blocks beneath angles, also with corbelling. Surrounds are flush ashlar. Gable blank roundel with moulded keystone and curved hood, inscribed 'Berachah'. Big first floor Palladian window with keystone and hoodmould continued flat over sidelights. Small-paned timber windows with moulded mullions, 3-light arched window with square top-lights and leaded lights in arch, narrow 2-light sidelights with top-lights. First floor side windows are arched with keystones and curved hoods. Similar glazing to centre sidelights. Ground floor has similar but shorter arched windows each side and centre arched door with keystone and hoodmould flanked by a small-paned roundel each side also with key and hood, the hoods linked to the door hoodmould. Double boarded doors with 3-light fanlight, marginal glazing bars and coloured glass.
Whitewashed stucco side walls, 2-storey, 4-window, with brick eaves, and cambered headed sashes, 4-pane below, the windows above with 8-pane, but the top panes further subdivided into 8 small panes.
To right, vestry in rock-faced stone with heavy whitewashed coping to pedimental gable, stucco roundel and stucco triple arch to ground floor, door and 2 windows, all with keystones.

Interior

Boarded three-sided ceiling in 5 bays with ribs off corbels. Five pierced timber round vents. Three-sided gallery with canted angles on 7 Corinthian cast-iron columns, part-fluted. Gallery front in pitch pine has cornice under long panels. Pews in 3 blocks, the side ones canted, some inward-facing each side of pulpit. Fielded panels to backs, and shaped ends. Set fawr has canted angles, panelled back and newels at entries. Pulpit has steps each side with turned balusters, squat balusters over panels to short outer pieces and then projecting canted front of 1-2-1 panels. Panelling to seat in recess with ornate capitals to hoodmould with keystone.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a well designed early C20 chapel front in the classical/Italianate tradition and retaining a well-designed interior.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29499938

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)