Tabernacle Chapel is an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
(
Congregational
Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...
) chapel in the town of
Llanelli
; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...
,
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
, Wales. It was built in 1872 and is located at 17 Cowell Street. It is a
Grade II*
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
listed building.
Tabernacle Chapel was erected at a time when Llanelli had become a significant regional producer of tinplate and steel; the population was growing strongly and needed more buildings in which to worship. It was designed by John Humphrey and was similar to the chapels he designed in
Llanidloes
Llanidloes () is a town and community on the A470 and B4518 roads in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire (), Wales. The population in 2011 was 2,929, of whom 15% could speak Welsh. It is the third largest settleme ...
and
Morriston
Morriston (; ) is a Community (Wales), community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, and falls within the Morriston (electoral ward), Morriston ward. It is the largest community in the Swansea county.
Morriston is sometimes referred to ...
. The façade is temple-like and combines an arcade with a portico, underneath which is an unusual arrangement of windows and stone-banding. The façade's style is a combination of
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
,
Romanesque,
Gothic,
Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
. Inside the chapel, the plaster roof has curved ribbing and there is a curved gallery with a pierced semi-barrier above a low veneered-walnut wall. The pulpit is much-arched and covered in fine fretwork; behind it is an organ gallery, installed in 1901 by
Vowles.
The chapel was designated a
Grade II*
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
listed building on 3 December 1992, the reason for listing being that it is "a fine example of John Humphreys' distinctive style in chapel building, and probably the most elaborate chapel in Llanelli". The listing includes the spearhead railings with twisted uprights on Cowell Street and the two sets of iron gates. The
curates the archaeological, architectural and historic records for this chapel. These include numerous digital photographs and a collection of colour slides.
Early history
Tabernacle was established as a result of a decision by the members of
Capel Als to establish a new church because their own chapel could not accommodate all those who wished to attend services. The minister, Thomas Johns, noted that a large number of members lived in the western part of the town and it was therefore decided to establish a new church closer to their homes. The foundation stone was laid on Good Friday 1873 on land donated by
Sir John Stepney MP.
The chapel opened on Easter Sunday two years later, when
Thomas Johns preached the first sermon in the new chapel. By the end of the year, Tabernacle had 502 members.
John Ossian Davies became minister in 1876 and remained for four years before moving to Swansea.
Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards ( , ; born 18 August 1961) is a Welsh news presenter. He was the lead presenter of ''BBC News at Ten'', the late evening news programme of BBC Television, from 2003 to 2023. He resigned from the BBC in 2024, during a police investi ...
speculates about the reasons for his early departure.
Divisions
He was succeeded by J. Pandy Williams whose ministry at Llanelli was overshadowed by denominational disputes, including a dispute at Bala Theological College which ultimately led to the dismissal of
Michael D. Jones as principal of that college. During this period both
Ebenezer and
Lloyd Street chapels were established as a result of divisions at Tabernacle The next minister, Wynne Evans, remained for ten years before accepting a call to a church in Chester.
Following his predecessor's turbulent pastorate, Evans's ministry was described as a peaceful decade in the life of the church. A local newspaper commented that three successive ministers had left Tabernacle for English-language churches.
The ministry of Gwylfa Roberts
Gwylfa Roberts, a renowned poet, became minister in 1899 and remained until his death in 1935. In 1914, as was often the case with Welsh nonconformist ministers, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by an American university, in his case the University of Washington, "for services to Welsh literature".
Gwylfa was a friend and close associate of wartime Prime Minister
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
and supported the war effort enthusiastically. 142 members from Tabernacle served in the Great War and sixteen lost their lives, including a young nurse. After the armistice, the church commissioned a new stained glass window in memory of the war dead. This was unveiled on Saturday, 26 March 1920 by senior member, Evan Jones of Plas Trimsaran. Specially commissioned medals were also presented to a 120 members returning from active service.
In 1929, the annual meeting of the Union of Welsh Independents was held in Llanelli and Gwylfa Roberts chaired the executive committee. 700 delegates visited the town, representing 1,166 Congregational (or Independent) churches. This was the highlight of Gwylfa's long ministry at Tabernacle.
The ministry of Gwyndaf Evans
E. Gwyndaf Evans, minister from 1935 until 1957 was a leading figure in Welsh life and later became
Archdruid
Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of Gorsedd Cymru, the Gorsedd.
The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, the award of the and the C ...
. He was chosen as Gwulfa'r successor while still a theological student at Aberystwyth although he had already achieved national prominence as the chaired bard at the 1935 National Eisteddfod at Caernarfon. His ministry commenced on 13 March 1938 and the Second World War erupted soon after. In contrast to his predecessor, Gwyndaf was an uncompromising pacifist and his views antagonised a section of the membership including some of the deacons.
During his ministry, Gwyndaf also came into conflict with the chapel organist, Idris Griffiths, who was a talented and well-regarded musician. Gwyndaf was less than enthusiastic about the musical concerts being held at Tabernacle, believing them to be unsuitable for a place of worship. The clash eventually led to Griffiths leaving Tabernacle in 1948 and joining the congregation at Lloyd Street.
Later history
The last ministers were Richard Gwynedd Jones (1958–70), Emrys Ebenezer (1977-83), Raymond Williams (1987-2003) and Huw R. Thomas (2003–05) who died suddenly at the age of 56.
See also
*
John Ossian Davies, minister of the Tabernacle from 1876 to 1880
References
Sources
*{{cite book , last1=Edwards , first1=Huw , title=Capeli Llanelli. Our Rich Heritage , date=2009 , publisher=Carmarthenshire County Council , isbn=978-0-906821-77-0
Llanelli, Tabernacle
Churches in Llanelli
Churches completed in 1872
Llanelli, Tabernacle