- Nprn: 7197
- Summary: The community of Capel Caeronnen Welsh Unitarian Chapel was formed in 1654, the church 'gathered' by Rees Powell in a converted barn at Caeronnen Farm. The first chapel was built in Cellan village in 1747, though the current chapel dates primarily from 1846 when it was rebuilt. It was later renovated in 1861 and 1925. there is a vestry & chapel house/manse adjoining the chapel to the north-east, beyond a through-passage, and there is a burial ground on the south-west side.
The chapel is in the Vernacular style, entered via a central wooden-boarded door with frosted overlight in the three-bay south-eastern gable end. The windows and doorways are square-headed; the fenestration comprises late nineteenth or early twentieth century sash windows with frosted glass and horns. The southwest elevation, formerly the front elevation, has a central date plaque, while the current front elevation has raised rendered lettering which reads 'CAPEL CAERONNEN 1654. 1747. 1846 Adnewyddwyd. 1925'.
Inside the chapel is a single sided wooden gallery enclosed by vertical-panel matcboarding and supported upon circular cast iron columns with plain shallow moulded caps. The ceiling and walls are of white-painted plaster with later coving and ceiling tiles. Bench-style pews are arranged around a central aisle. The five-sided pulpit with canted sides is reached by steps to either side, and is matched by the open sided set fawr with canted sides.
Source: RCAHMW Inventory Documents; CD/Ecclesiastical/SN64SW from O.M. Jenkins
K Steele, RCAHMW, 17 March 2009 - Description: Chapel built 1654; rebuilt 1747, 1846, 1861. Renewed 1925. Building style is vernacular, gable entry type. Status (1998): in use
The "Congregation originated ca. 1654 in a church "gathered" by Rees Powell.The congregation worshipped in a converted barn (remnants of gallery survive) at Caeronnen farm until removed to Cellan village" (G. & H.Hague, The Unitarian heritage). Present building thought to date from 1846, but renovated in 1925; vestry & chapel house /manse adjoin on NE. beyond a through-passage; burial ground on SW..
Originally a lateral-entry façade to SW.? Now a 3-bay gable façade to SE. with centre entry. End rendered pilaster strips; flat-arched window and door openings with rendered bands arched as square labels over them. Late-C19 or early-C20 sash windows with frosted glass and horns. 1 concrete step to wooden-boarded door with shallow, frosted-glass overlight. In raised rendered letters in gable: "CAPEL CAERONNEN 1654. 1747. 1846 Adnewyddwyd. 1925.". Painted bargeboard. Narrow concrete strip forecourt enclosed by rendered and pebbledash dwarf walls and coping; square end wall piers and gate piers with pyramidal coping; connected by plain C20 tubular rails; centre iron gate. Pebbledash SW. elevation faces burial ground. 2 eighteen-pane sash windows with horns near centre. Rectangular C19 slate date plaque in centre below eaves: "Capel /Cayronen /Adeiladwyd /yn y lle hwn /yn /y flwyddyn /1846". A four-pane frosted-glass window with horns set low at either end. Stone lean-to with late-C20 roof against rear chapel wall which has a 2-pane frosted-glass window with horns. NE. side elevation with a mid-C19 twelve-pane window.
Vestibule interior: C20 small tile floor. Matchboarded SW. end wall. Raked white-painted plaster ceiling. Wood NE. (only) gallery stair: large turned newel at base, lower flight of 8 steps, 2 steps on a turn and 2 steps up to gallery; enclosed by vertical-panel matchboarding below and by moulded panelling at the top. Doors into chapel each of diagonal matchboarded panels in stopped and chamfered frames.
Chapel interior: matchboarded dado. Painted-plaster walls. Window openings with C19 beaded jambs and splayed reveals. Later-C20 coving and ceiling tiles, stepped up above front tier of gallery.
Varnished early-C20? Open-ended bench seats arranged as a single block of 6 seats each side of centre aisle, set askew with inner bench ends set backwards. Matchboarded single-panel backs with three-quarter top mouldings; flat-topped bench ends, concave and rounded at front.
End gallery: moulded gallery beam supported by 2 circular cast-iron columns with plain shallow moulded caps, the shafts marbled above and brown-painted below. Carved brackets to soffit of projecting gallery front which is made up of 14 brown-painted and raised and fielded panels divided into bays of 3 by balusters of C17 style (from the old chapel?). Large circular clock over centre panel: "Rhodd Mrs Davies Trebane D Jones Lampeter".
Open-sided Sedd Fawr with canted sides and made up of 4 posts and lined with gold-beige felt curtains on brass poles. 5 steps each side to pulpit dais, brown-carpeted with red and black border; balustrades of turned balusters and square newels with ball finials. 5-sided pilpit, including canted sides, faced with 2 tiers of matchboarded panels in stopped and chamfered frame. Brass lectern. Tall chair in pulpit. Rear pulpit wall with painted-brown panelling above matchboarded dado. A C19 or early C20 oak chair each side of pulpit. Bench along each side wall facing on to Sedd Fawr.
Single-manual harmonium on SW. by Hiller Organ Co., Lebanon, Pa., USA.
Registration (l.h.): Bass coupler, Diapason 8', Dulcet bass 8', Principal 4', Sub-bass 16', Diapason ?, Treble coupler, Vox humana, Aeoline 8', Viola 8', Dulcet treble 8', Clarinet 8', Piccolo 4', Principal forte.
Gallery: wooden-boarded floor. Mid-C19 bench seats with panel backs and simple concave-shaped bench ends; painted and grained. 2 seats in front row (5 & 7 and a bit sunk panels); 1 seat on S. only in 2nd & 3rd rows, the 2nd seat of 7 and a bit moulded panels.
Small early-C19 wall memorial on SW.; carved with angels' heads and a crown? At the top; in painted-black lettering: "Er cof am y cynt /af a gladdwyd ma /Sef mab bychan /Daniel Davies /Cwmero?s Llanfair /Chwef. 18. 1817". Memorial below to L.Cpl. John Carfield Evans (d. 1916, France).
Chapel house /manse and 1st-floor vestry: dated externally 1894. Two-storey, three-bay front of stone rubble; slate roof with stone end stacks. Late-C19 or early-C20 sash windows with horns; wooden-boarded door in centre with shallow overlight. Strip of pebble setts in front with stone edging, partly concreted. In SW. return, external stone steps to first-floor vestry under an open C19 roof extending to chapel over a wide through-passage; wide iron "field" gate in front with scroll finial. Stone wall with white quartz blocks separates vestry stair from through-passage. Wooden-boarded vestry door. Rear elevation: C20 windows and door and flat-roofed extension on ground floor; C19 1st-floor window. Vestry interior: pilastered fireplace surround each end, NE. one with grate bars and black hob. Window openings with splayed reveals and flat timber cills, 3 on SE., 1 on NW., and 1 on NE.. Upright piano (Lambert, London); 6 long tables and bench seats.
Burial ground SW. of chapel bounded along road by stone wall with rendered coping; stone stile and C19 iron gate by chapel (latter has vertical scroll panel, 12 circlets in between double top rails, scrolls and top finials above top rail).
OMJ
12/1/-14/2/96
Visited 20/12/95 by kind permission of the Minister and secretary - Gallery Added: 1860 Source:Evan James
- Built: 1654 Source:Plaque
- Built (1): 1654 Source:Evan James
- Built: 1846 Source:Horsfall-Turner
- Built: 1846 Source:1851 Census
- Cause: 1672 Source:Horsfall-Turner
- Date Of Chapel: 1925 Source:
- Licensed: 1672 Source:Evan James
- Built (2): 1747 Source:Evan James
- Rebuilt: 1811-1813 Source:Evan James
- Rebuilt: 1846 Source:Plaque
- Renewed: 1925 Source:Evan James
- Renewed: 1925 Source:Plaque
- Rebuilt: 1747 Source:Plaque
- Rebuilt: 1846 Source:Evan James
- Architect: 1860 Thomas Thomas, Landore
- £ 850: 1905 (RCCEORBWM)
- 200: 1905 (RCCEORBWM)
- Chapel: 1997 (Welsh Unitarian Handbook)
- Chapel: 2010 (Denominational website)
- Welsh: ()
- Materials
- Rendered
- Monument Type: CHAPEL
- Form: Building
- Storey: Single Storey
- Style: Vernacular
- Gallery: End Gallery
- Plan: Gable Entry
- Pulpit Position: Rear Wall
- Window Glazing: Small Pane
- Windows: Flat-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
2 thoughts on “CAPEL CAERONNEN (WELSH UNITARIAN), CELLAN (CAERONNEN)”
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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