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Bethel Baptist Chapel is a Baptist chapel in the town of
Llanelli Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarth ...
,
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
, Wales. It was built in 1840 and is located on Copperworks Road. It had a larger seating capacity than most Llanelli chapels and in 1905 could seat 850 persons.


The chapel

Bethel Baptist Chapel was the first of a series of Baptist churches erected in Llanelli in the mid nineteenth century. This was a time when Llanelli became a significant regional producer of tinplate and steel and the population was growing strongly. The chapel has a large stuccoed temple-like facade with giant pilasters and a porch with columns and a balustrade. The windows had Florentine tracery. The pulpit was very ornate and had a pedimented back, and the gallery fronts were clad in cast iron panels. The chapel has a larger seating capacity compared to other Llanelli chapels, being able to seat 850 persons in 1905, and the Sunday School was also large, catering for 300 children. A house for the caretaker adjoins the chapel. The chapel was designated as a Grade II listed building on 3 December 1992, the reason for listing being that it is a fine example of a chapel building of its type and is of particularly striking group value with Siloah Chapel, in Glanmor Road some away. The listing includes the adjoining former schoolroom, and the iron railings and two pairs of gates that face onto the street. The
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectur ...
curates the archaeological, architectural and historic records for this chapel. These include a number of digital photographs and three Chapels Photographic Societies Collections.


References

{{Authority control Llanelli, Bethel Churches in Llanelli Churches completed in 1840 Llanelli, Bethel Baptist churches in Wales