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Beulah Welsh Baptist Church, Little Newcastle

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NPRN10974
Map ReferenceSM92NE
Grid ReferenceSM9808028450
Unitary (Local) AuthorityPembrokeshire
Old CountyPembrokeshire
CommunityPuncheston
Type Of SiteCHAPEL
Period20th Century
Description
Beulah Baptist Chapel is located around 1/3rd of a mile outside the village of Little Newcastle where Baptists are recorded as early as 1697. the original aim for the congregation was for a modest building, but John Evans of Rynaston persuaded them to go for amore ambitious structure, and played a prominant part in raising the necessary funds. Dying before the work was completed, his mantle was taken on by a Mrs Martha Griffiths of Wolfscastle who paid for the erection of the gallery.

The first chapel was completed in 1808, the opening sermon preached on Easter Monday. This was built in the long-wall form. The church was incorporated in 1823 with 135 members released from Llangloffan. It was rebuilt in 1874, and again in 1887 and restored in 1910. This was major reconstruction work carried out by the architects G Morgan & Son of Carmarthen and builder Daniel Thomas, and was due to the efforts of the minister Jacob John. Baptisms took place in the nearby River Angof. In the early 20th century the chapel went into decline and had to rejoin with Smyrna in 1927. In May 2014 there was only 1 member and the chapel due to close in the very near future.

The current chapel is of stone, built on the gable entry plan type in the Arts and Crafts Style. The facade has a hooded door inscribed "1808 BEULAH 1910" above which is a stepped, flat-headed tripartite window containing small panes of leaded green glass. Side elaevations are lit by two storeys of flat-headed windows.

The interior contains a small vestibule with a leaded glass window containing leaded coloured glass in Art Nouveau motifs, and two doors with leaded glass panels and lights above through to the main interior. This has a simple platform pulpit behind which is a matchboarded pulpit arch with a winged pediment surmounting it. The sedd farw, pews and gallery front are similarly simple in their use of match boarded panelling. The gallery pews are raked, being only two levels of pews to the sides and five to the rear.

RCAHMW, May 2014