History

Bethany was founded in 1900 as an English-speaking daughter of the Welsh-speaking Capel Rhondda. The present chapel was built in 1906 by Arthur O Evans, architect of Pontypridd.

Exterior

Simplified classical style chapel of coursed rock-faced stone and lighter freestone dressings and slate roof. The central doorway has a gabled and rusticated surround and flanking panelled pilasters. The gable is inscribed 1906. The round-headed doorway has replaced double doors and an overlight with coloured glass. Small flanking windows also have coloured glass. A continuous string course is carried up over the doorway surround. Above is a Venetian window, below the sill of which is an inscription band. Outer stair towers are lower than the main chapel and are brought forward, have ashlar quoins and plain parapets. A lower tier of windows have segmental heads, the upper tier lintels under triangular hood moulds.

On the L side wall the stair tower has similar windows to the front, and a round-headed window with brick surround to the roughcast basement. The remainder of the L side wall is set back slightly and has renewed render painted cream and 5 windows, all renewed in segmental-headed openings, of which the upper level are shorter. The basement, below an offset, has similar windows and a doorway at the L end. The R side is similar but has only 2 basement windows beyond which, towards the rear, is a 2-window projection under pent roof and retaining sash windows and having a lean-to in front with a doorway. The rear of the chapel has a narrow central lean-to housing the organ.

Interior

The vestibule has a decorative tile floor and to the R and L are open-well stairs to the gallery which have fretwork balusters and square newels. A glazed panel opposite the main doorway has Art-Nouveau influenced glass is flanked by half-lit panelled doors to the main chapel with similar glass.

The main chapel has a ramped floor. The 3-sided gallery is carried on cast iron columns with foliage capitals. The bressumer is enriched by plaster festoons of fruit and flowers. The cast iron gallery front has open scrolled panels above a frieze of blind pointed quatrefoils. The 5-bay roof has segmental arched braces on moulded corbels, collar beams and diagonal boarding behind. Behind the pulpit is an arched recess (originally housing an organ) with panelled pilasters, coffered round arch with keystone and surmounted by a pediment with billets. The polygonal pulpit has open fretwork panels, and is flanked by ironwork balustrades and steps with arcaded balusters and square newels. The baptistery is behind the pulpit. Plain pews have moulded ends. The deacons' seat has an open fretwork back.

The school room in the basement, reached by stairs on the L-hand side of the vestibule, has cast iron columns supporting boxed steel beams.

Reasons for Listing

Listed primarily for the architectural interest of its interior, especially the elaborate gallery front.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29501850

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

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  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
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  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair