Owen Morris Roberts (1832 or 3 - 1896) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born Welsh

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Brodie (ed) (2001) ''Directory of British Architects, 1834-1914'', RIBA, p.481 and surveyor. The front of Capel Moreia - a Grade II listed building - geograph

Roberts was born in

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, the son of Edward Roberts, a joiner from

Porthmadog Porthmadog (; ), originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a Welsh coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies east of Criccieth, south-west of Blaenau Ff ...

."Owen Morris Roberts" in ''Capel'' (journal of Cymdeithas Treftadaeth y Capeli), 39 (2002), 11 The family returned to Porthmadog when Edward Roberts was employed on the rebuilding of Capel Tabernacl in the town. Roberts had originally been a ship's carpenter, but subsequently took over his father's joinery business, studied art and geometry with John Cambrian Rowland, and trained himself to become an architect.Jones, Anthony (1996) ''Welsh Chapels'', NMW, p.87 He went on to design a large number of

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

s, particularly in

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

, and other public buildings. Roberts' surviving work includes Capel Moreia,

Llangefni Llangefni (meaning "church on the River Cefni", ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. United Kingdom Census 2011 recorded Llangefni's population as 5,116 people, ma ...

; remodelling of the now-listed Plough Lane Chapel, Brecon and the

Rundbogenstil (round-arch style) is a nineteenth-century historic revival style of architecture popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora. It combines elements of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Renaissance architecture with particula ...

-inspired facade of Capel Bach, Rhos. He was responsible for the remodelling of

Capel Als, Llanelli Capel Als is an Independent (Congregational) chapel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales, It is regarded as one of the most significant religious buildings in Wales. Folk tradition suggested that the name refers to a woman named Als, which along w ...

. Secular buildings produced by his firm include the Albert Hall, Llandrindod Wells. Many of his chapels are in the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

style, occasionally freely mixed with Classical elements, and often feature stair towers. Roberts, who was a prominent member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and a councillor for

Merioneth , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

, died in

in 1896. His firm, Owen Morris Roberts & Son, went on to produce other chapel designs.

Gallery

Image:Capel y Garth,Porthmadog DSC 1619 -1.jpg, Capel y Garth, Porthmadog (1898) Image:Rhosllanerchrugog - geograph.org.uk - 16697.jpg, Capel Bach, Rhos; rebuilt to design by Roberts, 1889 Image:Plough chapel, Brecon (geograph 3479604).jpg, Plough Lane chapel, Brecon Image:Hyfrydle Chapel,Holyhead (geograph 4164116).jpg, Hyfrydle, Holyhead Image:Albert Hall, Llandrindod Wells - geograph.org.uk - 1551963.jpg, Albert Hall, Llandrindod Wells File:Former Friends Meeting House, Llandrindod Wells (geograph 4921565).jpg, Former Quaker Meeting House, Llandrindod Wells (by Owen Morris Roberts & Son, 1897) Image:Rehoboth Chapel, Nant Peris (geograph 2894286).jpg, Rehoboth, Nant Peris, rebuilt by Roberts in 1876 File:Penuel, Eglwys y Bedyddwyr, Rhosllanerchrugog - geograph.org.uk - 830205.jpg, Penuel, Rhos; facade by Roberts, 1891 File:Capel Moreia Morfa Nefyn - geograph.org.uk - 533118.jpg, Moreia, Morfa Nefyn (1882) File:Ambrose Memorial Chapel, Porthmadog NLW3362112.jpg, Capel Coffa Emrys, Porthmadog (1878; demolished c.1985) File:Capel Horeb, Brynsiencyn (geograph 1874556).jpg, Horeb, Brynsiencyn (1881) File:SALEM, Eglwys yr Annibynnwyr, Caernarfon - geograph.org.uk - 163370.jpg, Salem Welsh Independent Chapel, Caernarfon; a design by Thomas Thomas extended and remodelled with flanking stair towers by Roberts in 1891

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Owen Morris Welsh architects 1832 births 1896 deaths People from Birkenhead Welsh ecclesiastical architects