Pen-Dref Welsh Independent Chapel

Heritage listing

Reason for designation: Listed grade II* as a well-preserved C19 chapel with strong architectural character and a fine interior mainly of 1862, and for its contribution to the historic townscape. History: Pendref was founded as an Independent chapel in 1791 (date on building) and is the oldest surviving non-conformist cause in Caernarfon. Town plans of 1810 and 1834 show that the chapel was set back from the street behind a row of cottages facing Bangor Street, which have subsequently been demolished. The present chapel is a rebuilding and enlargement of the original building in 1862, while the set fawr and pulpit were remodelled in 1881. Exterior: A classical style chapel with a scribed roughcast front, and a slate roof hipped to the front behind a parapet, with a ridge ventilator. The entrance is raised above street level and reached by stone steps R and L with iron railings. The doorway has a rusticated surround with dentilled cornice. It has 2 Tuscan columns in antis framing double fielded-panel doors and similar side panels. To the R and L are small round-headed, round-backed niches. At the upper level are 4 gallery windows, which have small-pane glazing and a moulded sill band. The 2 central windows have corbelled sills, architraves with triangular pediments on fluted consoles. The outer windows have similar architraves with segmental pediments. The parapet is on a moulded cornice and has Tuscan pilasters and coping, with central low pediment bearing the date 1791 in raised numerals. The side walls and rear are pebble-dashed. The side walls have 4 gallery windows with segmental-headed 12-pane sashes, while the lower level has 3 similar sashes and a smaller stair window with 16-pane sash to the front. The sashes are hornless to the L side, horned to the R side. The

From Cadw under OGL v3.