- Nprn: 6419
- Cadw Ref: 24/A/39(1)
- Cadw Record No: 11924
- Summary: Capel Als Independent Chapel was first built in 1780 and enlarged in 1797 and 1827. The chapel was rebuilt and enlarged in 1852 to the design of architect Thomas Thomas, Landore, and later rebuilt again in 1894 by architect Owen Morris Roberts of Porthmadog. The present building, dated 1894, is built in the Classical style with a long-wall entry type and is noted for its stained glass windows. The building is Grade 2 listed.
RCAHMW, June 2009 - Description: Chapel first built 1780 & enlarged 1797 (simple unadorned structure) & 1827. Present chapel built 1852-3 to the design of Rev. Thomas Thomas, Landore, (extended by 20 feet with new 28 feet high wooden ceiling) & remodelled 1894-5 by Owen Morris Roberts of Porthmadog (cost £4995) Present building is in Classical style, long-wall entry type. Noted for stained glass windows. Building is listed Grade 2. Status (1999): in chapel use.
Capel Als was the mother church of numerous Independent congregations in Llanelli (information from Cadw list description of 12/03/1992).
Note from the Religious Census of 1851: a Calendar of the Returns Relating to Wales, ed. I G Jones, p282, "In times of yore there was an old dame of the name of Alice living on the spot where the chapel is built at the corner of whose house thate was a well over which the chapel is, which was called Alice's Well and when the place was occupied by the chapel it was called very naturally Capel Alice abbreviated Capel Als."
Replied to 1851 Census: ...."erected 1780. Average attendance 850.
In times of yore there was an old dame named Alice living on the spot where the chapel was built, at the corner of whose house there was a well - over which the chapel is, called Alice's Well. When the place was occupied by the chapel it was called very naturally Capel Alice, "Capel Als".
The congregation was not counted on Census Sunday (Mar 30, 1851). It should be understood that a great many of the people are obliged to work on the Sabbath in the copper works and other works which require to be kept in order, so that all worshippers at the same time in any of the chapels in this place. There are at least 1300 who are in the habit of frequenting the chapel, which is always crammed in the evening. The Sunday School attend in the chapel, and most of the congregation belong to the Sunday School."
(Anthony Jones)
Undoubtedly the best chapel in the Llanelli area, with excellent woodwork, organ etc; in excellent condition, apart from some dampness in a fairly recent extension housing the kitchen (information from Mr Gareth Watts).
Capel Als Independent 1852-53 & 1894
The present chapel is a partial rebuild of 1894, retaining the walls, if not the roof, of the earlier chapel of 1852-53 by the influential Landore architect Thomas Thomas. Thomas subsequently used the Capel Als design at Independent chapels at Pontypool in the following year and seven years later in his home chapel in Llandeilo. In all of these he provided a high front parapet extending round to the first bay of the side elevations. The other main features retained of Thomas's first Italianate design are the central pediment or gable over the chapel name with Italian Renaissance scroll sides and the double attached columns, or pilasters, that originally ran from top to bottom of the front corners of the building and flanked the central entrance recess. It was externally mainly re-cased by the marginally less influential professional architect Owen Morris Roberts of Porthmadog in a classical style that continued in use in north Wales even as the south turned to gothic. The hallmarks of Roberts's style are here: this is not a full-height classical temple as was Thomas's earlier design but a two-storey main façade with Thomas's earlier columns divided horizontally (like those newly built at nearby Caersalem the year before) by a prominent projecting string-course as used by Roberts at Mount Pleasant Chapel in Holyhead nine years earlier. At that and other chapels Roberts used a central group of three equal-height and width windows as a feature over the central doorway and this replaced Thomas's earlier Venetian Window over the main door at Capel Als. Thomas and Roberts also liked to get away from the great shed-like profiles of many other simpler chapels by using a hipped roof which enabled a flatter profile to the central three bays of the main front. Roberts made this elevation wider and more imposing by adding projecting stair-wings with a lower hipped roof: both features he was to use at Moriah, Capel Coffa John Elias at Llangefni in Anglesey three years later. As at nearby Siloah, Capel Als had bay-window-like porches to add both domestic comfort and appearance by David Jones of Llanelli in 1904. The simple Italianate single-storey Sunday-school to the left of the main front remains as Thomas Thomas designed it in 1870. In 1905 Capel Als could seat 1,150 which made it and Tabernacle the largest of the Independent Chapels in Llanelli although smaller than the 1,334 capacity of the Baptist Zion Chapel. However its Sunday School at a substantial 450 was still smaller than Trinity and Park Street (English) of the same Independent denomination.
Entry by Stephen R. Hughes 06.09.2007 using the following main sources: the Capel Newsletter 34 (Autumn 1999), Capel Local Information Sheet 16 on Llanelli; T. Lloyd, J. Orbach & R. Scourfield, The Buildings of Wales, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion (Yale, New Haven & The Buildings of Wales) 2006 & chapels on The Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales database at www.coflein.gov.uk & Royal Commission on the Church of England and other Religious Bodies in Wales and Monmouthshire, Volume VI, Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence Nonconformist County Statistics 1911, Carmarthenshire (collected 1905), (London, HMSO) 1911, p.82 & Stephen Hughes, 'Thomas Thomas, 1817-88: the first national architect of Wales', Archaeologia Cambrensis 152 (2003), pp. 69-166.
Chapel first built 1780 & enlarged 1797 & 1827. Chapel built 1852-3 to the design of Rev. Thomas Thomas, Landore, & reduced to shell then rebuilt 1894-5 by Owen Morris Roberts of Porthmadog. Present building is in Classical style, long-wall entry type. Building is listed Grade 2. Status (1999): in chapel use. Date of present building 1894-5. The Sunday School to the side is by Thomas Thomas.
Amended 29.08.2007 by Stephen R. Hughes - Altered: 1894-1895 Source:Cadw
- Re-worked: 1894 Source:Orbach, Julian
- Enlarged: 1797 Source:Capel 34
- Enlarged: 1827 Source:Capel 34
- Extended: 1852 Source:
- Remodelled: 1895 Source:
- Built: 1780 Source:Religious Census
- Built: 1852-1853 Source:Cadw
- Built: 1780 Source:Capel 34
- Built: 1853 Source:Orbach, Julian
- Built: 1780 Source:Watts, Gareth
- Date Of Chapel: 1894 Source:
- Minister: 1829-1869 Source:Cadw
- Iron Wall Coping: 1894 Source:Cadw
- Organ: 1880 Source:Capel 34
- Stained Glass Windows: 1939 Source:
- Enlarged: 1830 Source:Watts, Gareth
- Rebuilt: 1831 Source:Capel 34
- Enlarged: 1797 Source:Watts, Gareth
- Enlarged: 1827 Source:Watts, Gareth
- Enlarged: 1853 Source:Watts, Gareth
- Schoolroom: 1870 Source:Watts, Gareth
- Al: 1894 Source:JO index
- Architect: 1894-1895 Owen Morris Roberts, Porthmadog
- Architect: 1894 Owen Morris Roberts, Porthmadog
- Architect: 1895 Owen Morris Roberts, Porthmadog
- Architect: 1852-1853 Thomas Thomas, Landore
- Minister: 1829-1869 David Rees,
- Architect(2): 1870 Thomas Thomas, Landore
- Builder: 1894 J.B. Harries,
- Founding Minister: 1780 Evan Davies,
- Minister: 1870-1914 Thomas Johns,
- Minister: 1916-1958 D J Davies,
- Minister: 1959-1975 Iorwerth Jones,
- Minister: 1975-1994 Maurice Loader,
- Minister: 1996- Iwan Vaughn Evans,
- £ 9500: 1905 (RCCEORBWM)
- 450: 1905 Accomodation (RCCEORBWM)
- 630: 1851 (Religious Census)
- 220: 1851 (Religious Census)
- 1150: 1905 Sittings (RCCEORBWM)
- Chapel: 1999 (Capel visit)
- Chapel: 2010 (RCAHMW visit)
- Chapel: 3/12/2010 (Denominational website)
- Welsh: 20/07/1998 (Site visit - Gareth Watts)
- Materials
- Stone
- Monument Type: CHAPEL
- Form: Building
- Storey: Two Storey and Basement
- Style: Classical
- Gallery: on four sides
- Plan: Long-wall entry
- Pulpit Position: Rear wall
- Window Glazing: Small Pane
- Windows: Round-Headed
Key Details of this Chapel
Key Dates of this Chapel
Key People in this Chapel History
Costs during this Chapels History
Capacities during this Chapels History
Changes of Status its History
The Languages of the Chapel during its History
Key Characteristics of this Chapel
Images from Coflein
Map
- Grid Reference: SN51120034
- Address: MARBLE HALL RD./ WERN RD., LLANELLILLANELLI
2 thoughts on “CAPEL ALS INDEPENDENT CHAPEL (CAPEL ALICE), MARBLE HALL RD./WERN RD., LLANELLI (CAPEL ALICE)”
Leave a Reply Cancel Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hello
My great great grandparents were married in Kinnerton Chapel in Old Radnor on 21st May1850. I have been searching for information on the Chapel, so was pleased to find this website. I have now located it on Google Street View – looks like someone is ‘doing it up’ to live in: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2612635,-3.1095337,3a,90y,232.95h,84.26t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1s-8DWPORkq2RFVNXBLde_-g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!9m2!1b1!2i53?hl=en-GB
The marriage record of my ancestors Abraham Bounds and Elizabeth Williams is attached. I hope it is of interest.
All the best
Saira
Dear Sara
Thank you for the information. I am glad to hear that it was some help to you.
Good luck on your continued search
Christine