Capel Moreia

This is a chapel with a vestry located underneath, built in the Italianate style. The chapel likely dates from the 18th century. The exterior is whitewashed stucco with a slate roof and a small rear chimney. The building is two stories high, with a basement level. The gable front is designed to look like it has wings, achieved by creating small hips over the outer angles, which visually elevates the centre of the building. A plinth, channelled angle piers, a first-floor sill band, and inner channelled piers define the outer bays of the first floor. Cornices above act as the base for an open pedimental gable, though they do not extend fully over the outer bays which are interrupted by the lower roof hips. The gable has moulded verges and a parallel, lower moulding, creating a triangular head over the central bay. The first floor’s central section features three narrow, arch-headed windows with pilasters, moulded arches, and keystones. A stucco balustrade sits in front of this. The first-floor side windows are arched with similar mouldings, while the ground floor side windows are segment-headed in simple raised surrounds with keystones. The centre of the ground floor is advanced, with a frieze and cornice that support the first-floor balustrade. A large arched doorway with leaded glass fanlight and double doors is centrally positioned, featuring pilaster piers, moulded caps at the impost level, a keystone, roughcast spandrels, and channelled rustication between the piers and cornice. The sides of the chapel have four bays each, with arched windows above and square-headed windows below. Hoodmoulds feature over the lower windows, a moulded stringcourse runs at the impost level of the upper windows, and the arches have keystones. The basement level has three windows and a door. Generally, the windows are sash windows with marginal glazing bars.

Inside, the ceiling has a very ornate, large ceiling rose consisting of three bands of ornament surrounded by eight half-circles, with smaller plaster roses at the ends of panels of herringbone boarding, incorporating timber ventilation panels. A three-sided gallery is supported by three by one by three iron columns, which are fluted and have attached pierced brackets. The gallery front projects significantly beyond the columns and is intricately detailed in timber, featuring long horizontal panels with blind balustrading and raised square panels with ornate patterned, grained, and black-painted wood. The gallery corners are curved, and the seating is steeply raked. The chapel floor is arranged with pews in three main blocks, with some inward-facing pews flanking the pulpit. A large, prominent seat has canted angles and balustrades. The pulpit is richly painted in imitation of different woods, with vertical panels beneath square panels, and a balustraded platform front on each side. The pulpit front has column shafts at the angled corners. Broad, curving steps with balustraded rails and heavy turned newels (matching those on the great seat) are located on either side of the pulpit. Behind the pulpit is a fine Renaissance-style aedicule, featuring paired fluted pilasters, a cornice, and a pediment embellished with scrolls and five narrow arch-headed panels. The basement vestry is supported by five iron columns that carry the chapel floor.