The establishment of an English Congregational cause in Caerphilly took place in August 1898. At a meeting in the Bethal Welsh Independent Chapel (NPRN 9397), the Rev D Richards “called on all those of Bethel members who gave their names to be admitted into the new church, and set before then a church covenant, and gave to each the right hand of fellowship. Holy Communion was celebrated… on the following Sunday, at the Board School Caerphilly, the first services in connection with the English Congregational Chapel were held”. (1)
The first chapel was opened in June 1899, on a plot on Goodrich Street near the junction with Van Road (and subsequently to the rear of the later Van Road Chapel). The chapel, built at a cost of £400-£500, seated 400, the number of members being 40, the congregation 200, and the Sunday school 64. (2)
In November 1903, this building was superseded when the foundation stone for the new chapel building was laid on the corner of Van Road and Goodrich Street. “Notwithstanding the wintry weather which prevailed on Wednesday there was a representative gathering of Congregationalists and others at Caerphilly at the laying of the foundation stones of a new chapel in Van-road. … The Rev. E. Bush, pastor of the church, traced the growth of Congregationalism in the Caerphilly district from the time when the cause was founded at Watford in 1632, and a contingent came thence to Groeswen. In 1866 the Bethel Chapel was rebuilt. Finally, the English church was established. When he took over the pastorate some five years ago the membership was 30 to-day it was 106. … The new edifice will occupy a corner site in Van-road, adjoining the present chapel. In competition a large number of architects sent in schemes, and Mr Conder, consulting architect to the Congregational Union in London, acting as assessor, selected the design of Mr W. Beddoe Rees. A.R.I.B.A., 37, St. Mary-street, Cardiff.” (3)
The opening services took place in September 1904, with a large congregation present and preaching by Rev. A Goodrich, the chairman of the Congregational union of England and Wales. A description of the chapel noted that
“Owing to the difficulty of the site, the chapel is built with two floors. On the lower floor, with the main entrance in Goodrich Street, are arranged a church parlour, two vestries, and four large class-rooms, together with kitchen and lavatory, etc. The chapel itself will accommodate 500 people without galleries. Provision is made for galleries to be erected at a future date, which will materially increase the seating accommodation. It is a fine, handsome structure, built in Late Gothic style. The walls are faced on the outside with blue Pennant stone, with Bath stone dressings. The interior is treated in an effective way, with pitch-pine arches carried on columns. The total cost of the building is about £ 3,000. It has been built by Mr. J. Howells, from the designs prepared by Mr. W. Beddoe Rees, A.R.I.B.A., architect, St. Mary-street, Cardiff.” (4)
In December the chapel was visited by Evan Roberts and as a result of the intense Revival meeting, 99 new converts were made. (5)
In 1972 the chapel joined to become part of the United Reform Church.
The chapel was listed at Grade II in 1997 as ‘an original Arts and Crafts Gothic chapel by leading chapel architect and writer on chapel design’. (6)
This is a large chapel built in Flowing Decorated style of rock-faced Newbridge sandstone with extensive Bathstone dressings, banding and quoins. The gabled entrance has steep steps up to central doorway, the steps having square gate piers with capstones, iron gates and railings. Over the doorway is a large five-light Decorated window with flowing tracery, while the doorway (with elaborate hinges to the doors) is set in a band Gothic-arched cusped panelling (some pierced as windows).
To the left is a polygonal Bath stone turret buttress, while to the right is a tapering, square-plan tower with clasping buttresses, a castellated parapet and a pyramidal spire. There is a broad 5-light window to the bell stage, and 3 cusped lights to the lower stage, while at ground level is a camber-headed doorway, the door with elaborate strap hinges. To the left elevation is a stair tower with splayed corners, a band of flat headed windows and a castellated parapet.
The side elevations have five windows separated by shallow buttresses, while to the rear is a shallow projection to organ recess.
The lobby has a decorated, wood panelled and stained glass screen in Art-Nouveau style, and leads to a lofty interior with narrow cast iron columns supporting a hammer-beam roof and timber arcades. There is a Gothic arched recess to the south end, with painted scroll and inscription above. The recess houses an organ with a panelled case and exposed pipes. In front is a polygonal wooden pulpit in Gothic style with blind arches, and with stalls to the sides. To the rear corners are splayed timber and stained glass screens leading to the vestry and the stairs to a lower level. There are three banks of wooden benches, and tghere is stained glass to windows, mainly in Art-Nouveau style.
S Fielding RCAHMW July 2025
(1) Glamorgan Free Press 13th August 1898
(2) Glamorgan Free Press Saturday 03 June 1899
(3) The Cardiff Times 28th November 1903
(4) Evening Express 8th September 1904 (First Edition)
