Bryn Du Chapel

Bryn Du Chapel

A Renaissance style chapel of two storeys with gable entry, built in 1901. The rendered elevations feature ashlar scoring on the front, with a slate roof topped by red clay ridge tiles.

The entrance elevation is strongly symmetrical and pedimented. The moulded pediment is broken by a rounded-arched head to a central recessed bay, and the facade is articulated by a continuous first floor sill band. The central bay contains the entrance at ground floor level: a round-headed arched doorway with engaged fluted Corinthian pilasters supporting a moulded arch with a stressed keystone. The square-headed double doors sit beneath a round-headed fanlight of two panes. All windows are slightly recessed sashes with margin panes. The first floor windows are round-headed, with engaged Ionic pilasters as jambs supporting moulded arches with stressed keystones. Within the recessed central bay is an arcade of three windows and a blind, keyed oculus with moulded surround. Stressed lettering around the oculus reads "BRYNDU" above and the date 1901 below. Flanking the central bay are slightly advanced single-window bays with stressed quoins at the angles; ground floor windows have segmental heads and moulded surrounds with stressed sill bands running across the width of the bays.

Each side elevation is pebble-dashed rendered with plain rendered dressings and comprises four bays, each articulated by square-headed ground floor windows and round-headed first floor windows.

To the rear of the chapel is a single-storey gabled block housing the vestry, with single-storey schoolrooms set at right angles to the rear. The entrance is via a lean-to porch in the angle at the left (north-west) side. The vestry has a single window in the north-west wall—a twelve-pane horned sash—and the porch has a smaller similarly detailed window in the north-west wall, with entrance through a square-headed doorway in the south-west wall. The gable ends of the schoolrooms each have a pair of tall round-headed sash windows; the gable apex features stepped, round-headed recessed panels set into the render. The rear (north-east) wall of the schoolrooms has four tall, twelve-pane sash windows.

To the front of the chapel is a small enclosed forecourt. A high rubble wall borders the south-east side, while the other two sides are bordered by a low rendered wall topped by railings with square, pyramidal capped piers at the angles. A double-gated entrance sits directly in front of the chapel doors, and a single pedestrian gate is positioned in the north-west side; both gates are decorated with a repeated circular pattern along the lock stile.

The main entrance in the south-west gable leads into a tiled vestibule with gallery stairs at each end and a pair of double doors with chamfered panels opening to the main gallery. The set fawr is positioned at the north-east, raised by one step with opposing side entrances. Its front is curved with recessed panelling to the lower part and turned balusters above supporting a moulded rail. The pulpit is raised by five steps with opposing side entrances. Its front has an advanced central bay flanked by curving side bays, each upper facing panel decorated with ornate floriate carving. The side entrances have moulded handrails on turned balusters with turned newels surmounted by banded globe finials.

The fittings are of pitch pine. The ground floor contains three ranks of box pews, with side pews set at an angle. The walls are rendered, textured and ruled to imitate stone, with the lower part clad in tongued and grooved panelling. Behind the pulpit is a plaster relief moulded arch with stressed keystone, supported on fluted Corinthian pilasters; the capitals are linked by an acanthus leaf frieze beneath which are three round-headed recesses, with ornate decoration above featuring a radiating urn design.

The gallery is set on tapering, fluted cast iron columns. Its recessed panelled front has plain panels interspersed with carved floriate panels, all set beneath a moulded rail. The gallery box pews are raked and follow the curve of the gallery. Wall heads terminate with a moulded plaster cornice supporting a coved ceiling comprising a broad timber boarded perimeter band surrounding a decorated rectangular plaster ceiling. The rectangle is subdivided by three panels at each end, each with a moulded egg and dart border. The large square central panel is decorated with an elaborate plaster relief of three concentric circles: the outer subdivided to form sixteen panels each with a rosette motif, the central one undivided with twelve stellar motifs, and the inner decorated with entwined foliage. The centre comprises a decorated timber ventilation grille matching similar grilles at each corner and the centre of each long side of the timber border.

Two doors flank the set fawr: the right leads to a cupboard, the left to the vestry. The vestry has tongued and grooved panelling to the lower part of the walls and a small ornate cast iron fireplace against the far (north-west) wall. A doorway to the right leads to the kitchen, and a doorway to the left leads to the lean-to porch and schoolroom beyond. The schoolroom also has tongued and grooved panelling to the lower part of the walls and contains a carved wooden fire surround along the south-east wall, the original benches, and the teachers' reading desk.