Yr Hen Gapel (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

for ''The Old Chapel'') is a now ruined religious building and

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

in the village of

Llanybri Llanybri is a rural farming village situated between the estuaries of the River Tywi and River Taf in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is one of two villages with their own churches in the community of Llansteffan (the other being Llansteffan on th ...

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. The tower and ruins have been given Grade II heritage listing. It is unusual in having been subsequently converted for use by a non-conformist congregation.

Description

The remaining chapel consists of a square tower at the western end and a ruined

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

to the east, all built from rubble stone. The long walls of the nave are low and have a gap in the south wall for a door. The eastern end wall is approximately 3 metres in height and still retains a traceried window opening with trefoiled heads. The squat tower has a pyramid-shaped roof. On the west face is a false stone clockface dated 1879, with the 'hands' set at five minutes to ten. The ruins are a scheduled ancient monument. An information panel gives information about the history of the site. The tower also doubles as the village war memorial, with two plaques beside the door.

History

The church was referred to in 1388 as "Morbrichurche". Dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, it was a chapel-of-ease to nearby

Llansteffan Llansteffan, is a village and community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, south of Carmarthen. Description The community includes Llanybri and is bordered by the communities of: ...

. Recorded as still being an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

place of worship in 1671, the church was repaired and taken over in the 17th century as a non-conformist place of worship, described as "a remarkable change for the date". The congregation was founded by Stephen Hughes circa 1670. The chapel is believed to be a unique example of being converted for non-conformist use. The congregation purchased the chapel in 1878, making changes including removal of the upper storey of the tower and the addition of a pyramid roof (the tower was originally

battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

ed and was recorded in the 1500s as having bells). The chapel finally closed in 1962 and became Grade II listed in 1966. Following a fire in 1974, most of the building was demolished.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hen Gapel, Llanybri Grade II listed churches in Carmarthenshire Church ruins in Wales 14th-century church buildings in Wales Scheduled monuments in Wales