| Bethesda, Abercwmboi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Welsh Baptist |
| History | |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Style | Classical |
| Completed | 1864 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 600 |
Bethesda, Abercwmboi is a Welsh Baptist church in Abercwmboi near Aberdare. Services continue to be held in the Welsh language.
The origins of the cause date back to 1854 when a small group of members from Gwawr chapel, Aberaman began to hold prayer meetings in the locality, which was then known as Cap Coch. [1] In 1856 two houses in Jenkin Street were purchased and converted into a chapel, [1] The chapel was opened in September 1856 at services presided over by the Revs. Thomas Price, T. Nicholas and W. Williams. [2]
The church was incorporated on 14 May 1860 and 39 members came there from Gwawr. [2] The first recorded minister, for a brief time that year, was Robert Owen. James Jones was minister from 1862 until 1869. [3] During his ministry, in 1864, a new chapel was built with seating for 600. [1]
After Rees departed in 1869, a number of ministers served at Bethesda for a relatively short time in the early years, namely Jenkin Rees (1870-71), John Thomas (1872-74) and David Davies (1875-78). W. Ceinfryn Thomas then became minister in 1880 and remained for ten years. [3]
Mathias Jenkins became minister of Bethesda in 1900 and served for thirty years. After four years without a minister, Arthur G. Llewelyn became minister in 1934 and served until 1960. [3] The building was extensively renovated in 1938 and 1950. [1]
In 2019, Bethesda is one of the few remaining Welsh Baptist churches in the locality. The chapel is built in the Classical style, with two storeys, a gable-entry plan and a hall/ Sunday school/ vestry located behind the main building. Bethesda is now Grade 2 listed for its handsome classical facade, unaltered interior with original furnishings and unusual panelled ceiling. [4]
Some members from Calfaria, Aberdare joined Bethesda when their own chapel closed due to low membership in recent years.
Aberdare is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 14,462. Aberdare is 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Merthyr Tydfil, 20 miles (32 km) north-west of Cardiff and 22 miles (35 km) east-north-east of Swansea. During the 19th century it became a thriving industrial settlement, which was also notable for the vitality of its cultural life and as an important publishing centre.
Cynon Valley is one of many former coal mining valleys within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Cynon Valley has two main towns; Aberdare located in the North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located in the South of the Valley.
Abercwmboi is a village in the Welsh county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, United Kingdom.
Thomas Price was a leading figure in the political and religious life of Victorian Wales and minister of Calfaria Baptist Chapel, Aberdare.
Calfaria Baptist Chapel, Aberdare, was one of the largest baptist churches in the South Wales Valleys and the oldest in the Aberdare valley. The chapel had an ornate interior, including a boarded ceiling with a deeply undercut rose, while the balcony balustrading had a cast iron front with an intricate foliage design. These features were common in the Welsh chapels of the late nineteenth century. The organ was installed in 1903 at a cost of £850. It was played for the last time in 2012 by Robert Nicholls, during a Radio Cymru broadcast shortly before the closure of the chapel.
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