Lon Swan Independent Chapel, including associated Hall, forecourt walls & railings

Lon Swan Independent Chapel, including associated Hall, forecourt walls & railings

This is a large Independent chapel built in Italian Renaissance style, set back behind low limestone forecourt walls with simple surmounting iron railings. The building is constructed of rubble with a pitched slate roof. The facade is the principal feature, built of red and brown brick with limestone ashlar dressings arranged in three bays.

The central bay projects slightly forward and contains the entrance. It rises above a heavy cornice to terminate in a triple-arched attic window with a surmounting moulded pediment that scrolls onto the adjoining parapet. This central bay, together with the outer sections of the flanking bays, is emphasised by ashlar quoins. The flanking bays contain arched windows at ground and first-floor levels. The first-floor windows of the central bay and the ground-floor windows of the flanking bays are topped with segmental pediments on supporting consoles. The remaining windows have standard pediments with similar treatment. All windows feature simple Renaissance-style glazing consisting of wooden paired arched mullions with surmounting occuli. A plain projecting stringcourse runs between the ground and first floors, with a cornice featuring modillion treatment and a surmounting panelled parapet.

The porch is a single-storey structure in the centre of the facade, with clasping corner piers crowned by miniature pediments on each face, surmounted by fish-scaled domes with ball finials and a flat roof. The arched doorway has a moulded entablature and blind occuli in the spandrels, with a projecting keystone and imposts. Narrow arched windows light each return, and there are sixteen-panel double doors with a segmental fan whose glazing bars copy those of the main windows.

The forecourt walls are of limestone with simple surmounting iron railings. At the left corner and flanking a pair of central gates are square ashlar piers with pedimented and domed tops imitating those of the porch corners. At the far right is a plain gate with decorative arched overthrow.

Interior

The entrance passage contains gallery stairs ascending to left and right, fitted with turned balusters and newels. The floor is laid with geometric pavement in polychromed tiles. A half-panelled partition wall divides the entrance passage from the chapel proper and features entrances flanking a central window with stained glass margins. These entrances have architraves with classical dentilated pediments.

The chapel interior is notable for its U-shaped gallery supported on cast iron colonnettes cantilevered out on scrolled brackets with modillion decoration and a panelled face with moulded surmounting rail. Six tiers of pew seating occupy the main and gallery floors, with the latter raking. The set-fawr (choir enclosure) is at the front, curved with enclosing rails having turned balusters and newels with geometric finials. A central semi-octagonal pulpit with flanking curved stair approaches is detailed in similar manner, featuring blind arched niches with inlay and Early English-style capitals and shafts, together with a dentilated and inlaid rail.

Behind the set-fawr and pulpit stands a large organ by Bellamy of Denbigh. This comprises a tripartite arched upper section with dentilated and moulded cornicing, projecting keys and flanking shafts with capitals and geometric finials, over a panelled lower section with central console. The ceiling contains three large ceiling roses with complex foliate plasterwork, with moulded ribs radiating to the corners where smaller roses are positioned.

Associated buildings comprise a plain vestry room with dado boarding and fielded panelled doors opening to a plain four-bay hall fitted with boarded dado, pine floor and barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling.