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Old Salem Chapel;Sunday School, Cwm Chapel Road, Bonymaen

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NPRN404766
Map ReferenceSS69NE
Grid ReferenceSS6778195741
Unitary (Local) AuthoritySwansea
Old CountyGlamorgan
CommunityBonymaen
Type Of SiteCHAPEL
PeriodPost Medieval
Description
Calvinistic Methodist chapel dated 1782-3, improved in 1823, galleried in 1831 and improved again in 1889. It was converted to schoolroom when the big adjoining chapel was built in 1903-5 and a floor was inserted in the C20. It is said that in 1822-3 the old chapel was demolished and rebuilt larger with a chapel house and stable to the right, and that alterations were made c1867 by John Humphrey that included raising the roof, reseating and the addition of front lobby. The long narrow lights are typical of Humphrey. It is likely therefore that the present appearance is largely of c1867.

A former chapel, now vestries, constructed of rendered rubble stone with a slate hipped roof and a facade on the long wall. The facade originally had 2 large arched centre windows and 2 doors under 2 large arched gallery lights. The 1889 alterations included the addition of a triple-gabled porch, a long, narrow, arched, outer stair light each side and possibly the centre keyed roundel window, certainly the wooden quatrefoil tracery. The glazing is generally altered and the 2 centre windows are now boarded over. The porch has 3 gables, the centre over the arched entry, the side ones over the arched windows, and these also have smaller arched side windows.
The sides and rear are rubble stone with red brick window surrounds, with 2-window ranges to the sides, and 3-window to rear. The left side has 2 camber headed windows below, and 2 long arched windows above. The rear has 3 similar windows above, the middle one lengthened as a door to the outside escape. The ground floor windows are blocked, but had stone voussoirs not brick surrounds.

The interior is much altered with a floor inserted. The iron columns and the lower cornice with brackets are visible from the ground floor. The gallery was 5-sided, and probably of c1867. The upstairs gallery front has been removed, and a flat floor put across. Some raked pews survive, together with a plain moulded plaster cornice. There is a boarded, later 19th century ceiling with ribs in a 4-pointed star pattern, a centre roundel and 4 diamond ventilation panels.

The ground floor has some painted grained box pews with roll-mould top, dating to c1867, and a panelled, curved 'set fawr'. The original pulpit was removed to make way for a small low pulpit.
(Source; Cadw listing database) S Fielding RCAHMW 18/08/2006