Chapel

I am a fan of abandoned chapels. Chapels of all sizes are dotted around the Welsh countryside, in varying states of neglect and dereliction. Most of them served tiny hamlets back in the days before transportation was prevalent, and the only thing these people had was what was in their immediate area. For the local farmers and their families, attending service on a Sunday was also their means of socialising and catching up with their neighbours. And then as the world progressed, many of the rural chapels became somewhat redundant.

 

Obviously the big, beefier chapels with the fancy ceilings and balcony seats are a lot more photogenic, but there's something cute and humble about these tiny cottage-sized ones. These people didn't need something grand to worship in. Any building with seats would do the job.

The chapel shows up on maps from the 1880s, and according to one source it was constructed in 1837. Originally it was standing on the grounds of a large estate that was owned by the Wynne family, a big Welsh family that boasts many a baron and rich toff.

The mansion on this estate was first occupied by Reverend Richard Wynne, who married Gaynor, the daughter of a man named John Wynne. So straight away we have "inbreeding" ticked off our list of rich people stereotypes. 

But we're not here for Princess Wynncest and her great big house that could fit my entire flat in its kitchen. We're here for this chapel, and it sure is cute!

 

It's actually quite lovely. There's no vandalism whatsoever. It's a little too rural for that sort of thing. I think the majority of vandalism is done on impulse by people with half a brain, who get a freedom overdose when they realise that they're in a place with no cameras and no humans. Ironically I find that it's the most well behaved members of society who succumb to this. If someone is morally competent because the law tells them to be, then they're more likely to go a bit nuts when the law can't get them, whereas if someone understands that legality and morality don't always walk hand-in-hand, and can ascertain right from wrong because of their own sense of empathy and emotional maturity, they probably won't go somewhere like this and piss all over the pews.

Having said that, I absolutely love this decay! The ceiling is collapsing and the walls probably weren't always that pleasant shade of green. It will be interesting to see this place ten years from now, if humans were to have no input.

 

Here's the ceiling details. 

 

 

And a cute little window. 

 

 

Here's a hymn book, entirely in Welsh. 

 

 

There's an Easter leaflet here from 2012! That feels shockingly recent. How on Earth did this chapel stay active for that long? It's a fair trek from any houses, and there's nowhere to park. It must have had a very devoted community.

 

So going back to the Wynne family, the chapel does hold some significance for Richard and Gaynors Great-Great Grandson, Edward. His own father passed away less than a month before he was born, and his mother remarried a chap named Mr Brodrick. Mr Brodrick would also die in 1915, leaving poor Anne Brodrick twice widowed.

 

In 1916 Edward would also die from injuries in the first world war, being laid to rest in France at the tender age of 22. At this point, Anne seemingly opened up much of the estate to the public. The heir to the house was her daughter, Margaret, who turned the remaining land into a horse farm, bringing in a number of mountain ponies, which she ran until her death in 1961.

 Edward is mentioned on this big memorial slab at the back of the chapel which was apparently unveiled in 1923, and witnessed by a Colonel Williams-Wynne, presumably a cousin. 

But also mentioned is a William Jones, who died in the battle of Mametz Wood in 1918. That raised my eyebrow because the infamous bloodbath battle of Mametz Wood happened in 1916. I did worry for a moment hoping William Jones martyrdom was suffering a typo, but no, that wasn't the case. There was a lesser known battle of Mametz, when the Germans took it back from the British in 1918.

There is a newspaper article from 1923 which outlines how much of an absolute saint Anne Brodrick was. She actually helped the family of William Jones go to France to visit his grave- something they were ill-funded to do by themselves. The same article talks of the locals and says "They are all indebted to Mrs Brodrick for giving the land upon which that chapel had been built."

So it looks like Anne Brodrick actually gave the chapel away to its trustees. Some say that she gave away the land so that the chapel could be built on it, but the chapel appears on old maps so that can't be true. The news article admittedly does phrase things vaguely, but "had been built" is past tense. 

But I think this might be part of the problem. There is allegedly no deed for this property. It was given away a century ago and nobody in the present day has any responsibility, nor any authority to do anything. Admittedly property ownership isn't my area of expertise. I'm not sure how any of this works.

 

Whatever the ins and outs of who owns what, this chapel did actually make it into the latter half of the 20th Century, although it did nearly close in 1965 when it changed ministers. I guess its longevity and loyalty of the flock was in fact a fondness for him more so than a fondness for God. There's the saying- "people leave bad managers, not bad jobs," and I guess the same can be said for rural communities and their pastors. 

But that's not to say the new guy was bad, but people are change resistant. 

Apparently things did pick up when new people moved to the area, and the chapel did get a bit livelier. 

And then a storm brought a tree down on the roof, resulting in the poor wreck we have today. 

I guess "Act of God" is a good a reason as any to close a chapel.

On the pulpit are some bibles, in Welsh and English.

There's also these positively ancient books.

Dated February 1881. This is so awesome!

But what future is there for the chapel? Admittedly it is sad. I don't really get along with God. Or rather, I dislike the attitude of many Christians and flat out sneer at the ones who take the bible too literally. I'm a historian, albeit a renegade one. I know that with very rudimentary research we can see the transition to monotheism from the ancient texts that the bible is based on. So really, there is no historic truth in the bible. It's adaptations and metaphors at best. 

Having said that, if someone takes comfort from belief in a loving deity, and wants a quiet place to pray, then that harms nobody and the loss of a chapel like this is kinda sad.

The saving grace is that the organ and communion plates were donated to other chapels in order to save them, but for the chapel itself, the situation is a little more complicated. I've heard that people would like to see it sold, but no deed actually exists. The estate apparently still has a claim on the land, which is sometimes contested by the public, who have documentation that proves the estate bequeathed it. But it is alleged that nobody actually owns it, so nothing can really be done. But nobody wants to see it destroyed either.

I don't know what the answer is. Like I said, property ownership is not my area of expertise.

So that's it. It will definitely be interesting to check back in a decade to see how nature takes it all back, assuming humans don't smash it up,

Until then, the adventures continue, and I have one more spot to hit on this blog before I start focusing on my local blog again. Until then, the best way to stay updated with my blogs is to follow my social medias. I'm on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Threads, and the more obscure ones, Bluesky and Vero.

Most of the main ones are shit, but it's quite refreshing that people are starting to realise and make us some alternatives. 

Thanks for reading!