Tag: Horeb Chapel (Penydarren)

Merthyr’s Chapels: Williams Memorial Chapel, Penydarren

Williams Memorial Congregationalist Chapel, Penydarren

At the beginning of the 20th Century it was decided to build an English Independent Chapel for the rapidly growing population in Penydarren.

A committee of representatives of local Independent chapels was set up in 1901 and they agreed that the first task was to establish a Sunday School. This opened in Penydarren Boys School on 9 March 1902. More than a year was to pass before the first church service was held there on 12 April 1903, and on 25 May, the church was officially formed with 32 members, and a special service was held in Horeb Chapel.

The future of the church was discussed at a meeting presided over by Alderman Thomas Williams, J.P. (right), who owned much land in Penydarren. He was a staunch follower of the Independent movement and a supporter of the new church, and promised to make a gift to help build it. However, Alderman Williams died just two months later, but he had already arranged for a plot of land to be leased to the chapel in Brynheulog Street for 999 years at a rent of just one shilling a year. It was thus decided to name the chapel in honour of him.

On 19 November 1903, a meeting took place to discuss building the new chapel, and Messrs Owen Morris Roberts & Son, Porthmadoc were chosen to design the chapel. The committee decided that the cost of the building was not to exceed £1,800

The original plan submitted included a gallery and a schoolroom, but the committee decided that this plan was too ambitious and costly for their chapel, and also the members of the other Independent Churches recommended that the cost should be no more than £1,000, as there had been a very disappointing response to the original appeal for financial aid towards the building of the chapel.

After several further revisions of the plans, a tender was accepted for the work from Mr Samuel Evans of Dowlais, the cost being £1,258, and the stone laying took place on 19 July 1906.

The official opening of the chapel took place on 25 October 1906, and it was first used as a place of worship two days later. Due to an oversight however, the church wasn’t officially certified by the Registrar General as a place of worship until 2 July 1917.

The Chapel closed in 1996 and was subsequently demolished.

Merthyr’s Chapels: Adulam Chapel

Adulam Welsh Independent Chapel, Merthyr

In 1829, David Williams, an elder at Pontmorlais Chapel, became dissatisfied with the form of worship at the chapel and led a breakaway group of worshippers and began holding meetings, originally at the Bush Hotel, Caedraw.

Mr Thomas Powell, Sadler, High Street was one of the staunch supporters of David Williams, It was Thomas Powell who negotiated the land required, and the finance for building their own place of worship. Representation was made to the land owner William Thomas Esq. of the Court Estate to lease a parcel of land to build a chapel for 99 years for the sum of 2½ pence per annum. When sufficient money was raised, a chapel to be called Adulam was built in 1831 on Tramroadside North at a cost of £250.

A painting of Merthyr from the early 1800s. The original Adulam Chapel and its graveyard can be seen at the bottom right
Rev David Williams

The ministers of Zoar and Bethesda were opposed to David Williams and his people, and many of the ministers outside Merthyr felt the same, but several favoured him and went to Adulam to preach, and invited him to their pulpits, and eventually in Tretwr Assembly, he and the people under his care were recognized as a regular church. The chapel applied to the Methodist Union for membership but were refused; but then applied to, and were accepted into the Independent Union. David Williams was duly installed as Adulam’s first minister.

The church was burdened with a large debt and little effort was made to clear it during David Williams’ lifetime. The cause did not increase much. The fact that it was an old Methodist cause meant that Congregationalists who came to the area did not feel drawn towards it, especially in view of the fact that there were Congregational chapels in the area already. Mr Williams did not live long after joining the Congregationalists, dying on 12 June 1832.

Following Rev Williams’ death, the chapel depended on visiting ministers from other local chapels until Rev Joshua Thomas was ordained on 12 April 1833. Under Rev Thomas, the congregation at Adulam began to grow. Joshua Thomas was also instrumental in the starting of the causes at Bryn Sion Chapel in Dowlais and Horeb Chapel in Penydarren.

By 1856 the congregation had grown to such an extent, that when Lower Thomas Street was being built, it was decided to build a larger chapel with the entrance now on Lower Thomas Street. The new chapel was completed in 1857 at a cost of £1200. To save money, the chapel wasn’t built on the street, but set back behind two houses with a small courtyard in front of the entrance. The new chapel also incorporated a small vestry and stables for visiting ministers which were situated beneath the chapel. The stables were later converted into two small cottages.

The interior of Adulam Chapel

Within five years of the new chapel being built, Rev Abraham Matthews was inducted as the minister at Adulam Chapel. Rev Matthews became the minister of the chapel in 1862, but he left Adulam in 1865 when he and his family left Wales and became one of the first group of settlers to start up the Welsh Colony in Patagonia.

Unlike many other chapels in Merthyr, Adulam was one of those chapels frequented by working class worshipers; its membership did not include an array of financial benefactors and throughout its history struggled to maintain its religious survival. Following the death of Rev Daniel T Williams in 1876, Adulam could not afford to pay for a new minister until 1883 when Rev D C Harris became minister. One of the first things he did on becoming minister was to set about alleviating the debt on the chapel. In 1884 he sent out appeals for aid to relieve Adulam’s financial burden to every household in the area – see above right. It is interesting to note that the name of the chapel is spelt in the English way with two ‘L’s rather than the more usual Welsh way with a single ‘L’.

By the 1960s, due to falling attendances, services began being held in the vestry beneath the chapel. In 1972, the congregation had dwindled to just nine people, and the sad decision was reached that the chapel should close. The final service was held on 24 September 1972. Following its closure, several plans were put forward to use the building for a number of different projects, but none of these came to fruition. By the 1990s the building had fallen into such a derelict state that it had to be demolished.

Adulam Chapel in the 1980s

A new development of flats has been built on the site of the chapel and is called Adulam Court.

Merthyr’s Chapels: Horeb Chapel, Penydarren

Horeb Welsh Independent Chapel, Penydarren

The cause at Horeb was begun in 1837 by Rev Joshua Thomas, the minister of Adulam Chapel in Merthyr. Rev Thomas started a school in a room adjoining the Lucania Billiard Room in Penydarren, and several members of Adulam, who were living in Dowlais, met Rev Thomas in the school and started holding prayer meetings there. The congregation grew to an extent that it was decided to build a new chapel, just a few yards away from Joshua Thomas’ school. The foundation stone was laid on 1 August 1839, and the chapel, the first place of worship in Penydarren, was completed the following year at a cost of £700. The original chapel was built in an elevated position overlooking the High Street.

The original Horeb Chapel. Photo courtesy of Carl Llewellyn.

For the first few years, Horeb was in a joint ministry with Adulam with the Rev Joshua Thomas ministering to both chapels. However when Rev Thomas left Merthyr in 1843, the elders of the chapel decided to call their own minister, and Rev Evan Morgan was ordained on March 26-27 1844. Sadly Rev Morgan was a victim of the cholera epidemic and died in June 1849, and he, his wife and one of his children were buried on the same day.

As a result of the cholera epidemic, there was a religious revival in Wales with many people joining chapels and churches. The congregation at Horeb continued to grow and in 1853, a new chapel was built at a cost of £1100. The new chapel was built with the main entrance now facing Horeb Street. Within three years a new schoolroom was also built next to the chapel at a cost of £400.

The second Horeb Chapel. Photo courtesy of Carl Llewellyn.

In 1891, the fabric of the building was in need of some attention, so the chapel underwent minor renovations and a new pulpit and ‘Big Seat’ were erected at a cost of £330.

By 1908, it had become obvious that the chapel was becoming quite dilapidated and really not adequate for the congregation, so a new chapel was built in 1908/09 at a cost of £3,900, including £400 for a grand pipe organ.

The magnificent third Horeb Chapel.

The interior of the chapel was finished to a very high standard with magnificent plasterwork, and the gallery and pulpit made from a mixture of oak, pitch pine, mahogany and ebony. The new chapel was considered to be one of the finest chapels in South Wales.

On the night of 28 April 1973, an arsonist started a fire in the chapel, and the building was gutted. Only the vestry adjoining the chapel was saved, and also the iron name plate which was cast in the Dowlais Ironworks.

Horeb Chapel in ruins after the arson attack in 1973.

Following the fire the chapel had to be demolished and the decision was made to build a new chapel. A new modern chapel was built at a cost of £60,000. Horeb is now the only place of worship in Penydarren.

The End of Caersalem

On 23 July, Caersalem Chapel closed its doors for the final time – 200 years after the cause was first started. The history of Caersalem Chapel was covered in a previous post – http://www.merthyr-history.com/?p=575

The closing service was taken by Steven Barnes of Aberdare, and all but one of the remaining members of the chapel attended the service as well as representatives from Ivor Chapel, Dowlais; Horeb Chapel, Penydarren and High Street Chapel; as well as a number of others who went to mark the occasion.

The only member who wasn’t at the service was Eira Ward, who had been a member of the Chapel since 1977. She was prevented from attending the service by ill-health, and sadly passed away two days later.

Below is a photograph of the last members of Caersalem Chapel taken at the last service.

Back Row – Denise Callahan (Deaconess), Gwenda Powell, Audrey Humphries, Leona Francis (Deaconess)

Front Row – Beryl Davies, Hilary Hodson, Myfanwy Jones, Glynis Williams, Mary Simms, Marion Healy, Betty Furlong (Deaconess)

Many thanks to Carl Llewellyn who attended the service, and provided the information.