Rev Evan Harris – The Melting Pot

Merthyr Chapels: Pontmorlais Chapel

The next chapel we are going to look at was one of Merthyr’s oldest, largest and most important chapels – Pontmorlais Calvinistic Methodist Chapel.

Pontmorlais in the early 190’s. Pontmorlais Chapel can be seen behind the shops in the centre of the photo.

In the late 18^th Century a group of men began holding prayer meetings in the house of Mr John Davies just above the site of the chapel. As the group grew they moved to a house on the site of the Morlais Castle public house in Pontmorlais. The number of worshippers increased and in 1793 the congregation were in a position to build a small chapel which was called Pennsylvania.

In 1803 the first Methodist Revival took place and subsequently the congregation grew rapidly, and by 1805 a new chapel was built. Between 1805 and 1810 the chapel was also used as a school during the week. During this period, the chapel was considered to be one of the most important Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Wales, and attracted some of the most important preachers of the era.

The chapel was again extended in 1821 and following another revival in 1829 a very large new chapel was built behind the High Street, with access via a small courtyard between the houses built onto the chapel. The architect of the new chapel was the minister at the time, Rev Evan Harris (right).

The programme for the 1911 Cymanfa Ganu at Pontmorlais Chapel

In 1840 the chapel was renamed Pontmorlais Chapel. All the way through to the mid 20th Century, Pontmorlais remained one of the most important chapels in the town. Holding up to 1,500 people it was also used for many concerts, and the Calvinistic Methodist Cymanfa Ganu was held at the chapel on the first Monday in May from 1874 – the first Cymanfa Ganu to be held in Merthyr was at Pontmorlais Chapel.

By the early 1950’s the congregation had dwindled considerably and in 1954, the chapel closed.

After its closure, the building was taken over by the Blind Institute as a workshop until it was destroyed by fire in 1981. The site is now occupied by Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil.

The entrance to Pontmorlais Chapel. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm.

Merthyr’s Chapels: Hermon Chapel, Dowlais

We continue our feature on the chapels of Merthyr with a look at one of the oldest and largest chapels in Dowlais – Hermon Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel.

In 1791, an elderly lady named Mary Taylor moved to Dowlais from Dinas Powis, but upon arrival in Dowlais she found that she was the only Methodist in the area. She was soon joined however by a Mr Thomas Davies, and they started worshipping together. Gradually, others joined them, and they began worshipping at Pontmorlais Chapel in Merthyr before they were given permission to meet in Dowlais on the premises of Mr Thomas Williams, a local shoemaker.

As the congregation grew, they decided, in 1806, to open a Sunday School, and in 1810 they formed themselves into an established cause. The worshippers continued to meet in private houses until they took out a lease on the small Bethel Chapel; the Baptist Cause that had started there having failed.

The congregation continued to grow and in 1827 they decided to build their own chapel on a plot of land acquired at the bottom end of Gwernllwyn Isaf Farm. This was the first chapel of any importance to be built in Dowlais.

In 1837, the freehold of the land on which the chapel was built was purchased from Mrs Mary Overton, and it soon became apparent that chapel was too small to accommodate the ever growing accommodation. A new chapel was designed by Rev Evan Harris, minister at Pontmorlais Chapel, and the very large new chapel was completed at a cost of £2,000 and opened in 1841.

It is interesting to note that Josiah John Guest, owner of the Dowlais Ironworks, and a staunch Anglican, contributed £50 to the rebuilding of the chapel. The reason he gave was that he was pleased to hear that none of the congregation had participated in the Chartist Riots.

Hermon Chapel was subsequently regarded as one of the most important Calvinistic Methodist Chapels in Wales and became the mother church of Libanus Chapel, Calfaria Chapel, Elizabeth Street Chapel and Radcliffe Hall, Penydarren, as well as being prominent in the founding of Nazareth, Fochriw; Ysgwydd Gwyn, Deri and Gosen, Bedlinog.

The magnificent Nicholson organ in Hermon Chapel

In 1901 a new school room was built adjoining the chapel at a cost of £1,000, and in 1904 major renovations were undertaken costing £3,000, including £600 for a magnificent pipe organ built by Messrs Nicholson and Lord of Walsall.

With the redevelopment of Dowlais, the chapel was forced to close and in 1962, became the first of Dowlais’ chapels to be demolished.

Merthyr’s Chapels: Nazareth Chapel, Troedyrhiw

We continue our regular look at Merthyr’s chapels with Nazareth Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in Troedyrhiw.

Sometime during the middle years of the 1800’s, several members of Pontmorlais Chapel decided to start a Sunday School in Troedyrhiw.

The Sunday School was firstly held at the Harp Inn until these premises were given over to the Welsh Independent congregation. The Sunday School then moved to a house in Wyndham Street and finally to the long room of the Heath Conservative Club.

The local Methodists, however, had to travel to Graig Chapel in Abercanaid to worship, so it was decided to build a chapel in Troedyrhiw. Nazareth was built in 1858, the architect being Rev Evan Harris, minister of Pontmorlais Chapel, and the builder was Mr Rees Powell. At first, services were conducted by deacons from Pontmorlais Chapel, but by 1874 membership had grown sufficiently to warrant calling their own minister, and Mr D G Jones was appointed Nazareth’s first minister.

Major renovations were carried out in 1897 to a design by Dr Aaron Davies which gave the chapel its current appearance. The vestry was also built at this time. Further renovations were carried out in 1926 at a cost of £1,411.1s.7d.

The 1904 Religious Revival affected the fortunes of the chapel with dozens of people joining the congregation. By 1917 the chapel had 162 members, with 238 attending the Sunday School which had 27 teachers and 2 superintendents. By the 1960’s however, the congregation and Sunday School attendance had declined drastically, with the children’s Sunday School eventually closing in 1977, and the chapel closing in 2000.

Merthyr’s Chapels: Graig Chapel, Abercanaid

We continue our series on Merthyr’s chapels with an article about Graig Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in Abercanaid.

In 1846, a number of people from Abercanaid who attended Pontmorlais Calvinistic Methodist Chapel began holding meetings in the village. Rev Evan Harris, the minister at Pontmorlais Chapel at that time, supported the small group and was instrumental in arranging for a chapel to be built in Abercanaid.

In February 1847, Rev Harris and Mr Evan Jones, a tea dealer, led a deputation to the annual Methodist Association meeting held in Bridgend, and permission was obtained to build a chapel, chapel house and cemetery on Coedcaellwyd field in Abercanaid, next to the Glamorganshire Canal. The chapel was completed and opened for worship on 15 March 1848.

Over the years the chapel was renovated three times, including in 1897 at a cost of £365. However in 1899 it was discovered that cracks were appearing in the walls of the chapel due to the structure of the building being affected by the underground workings of Abercanaid Colliery.

It was decided to build a new chapel in the centre of the village of Abercanaid. The old chapel closed in 1903, and the new chapel, designed by Mr Charles Morgan Davies, was completed in 1905 at a cost of £2000. The cost of building the new chapel was helped by a compensation payment of £509, and the stone provided free by the colliery. In the period between the closure of the old chapel and the opening of the new chapel, services were held in Abercanaid School.

In 1948, Graig Chapel celebrated its centenary with a series of events, but the celebrations were tinged with sadness as the old Graig Chapel was demolished in the same year.

With ever decreasing membership, Graig Chapel was forced to close and the building was demolished in 1996. A house has since been built on the site. The cemetery of the old chapel still exists but is badly overgrown, and is almost totally inaccessible.

There were two magnificent memorials, pictured below, to prominent members of the chapel situated behind the pulpit in the original chapel, and these were subsequently moved to the new chapel. They were the work of the renowned sculptor Joseph Edwards (see previous article – http://www.merthyr-history.com/?p=344). The memorials were removed before the new chapel was demolished and moved to Cyfarthfa Castle Museum.