Llanidloes Baptist Chapel

The Llanidloes Baptist Chapel, built in 1876 by Liverpool architect Richard Owen and constructed by D Jones of Aberystwyth at a cost of £2,400, stands set back from the road opposite the Sion United Reformed Chapel. The site incorporates the location of a previous chapel dating from 1824. A caretaker’s house was added sometime between 1887 and 1899. The chapel formally opened on 21 October 1877.

The broad, classical facade is predominantly of snecked rubble with freestone dressings, including quoins, and has a slate roof with fishscale cresting and finials. The central portion is emphasised by a pediment and giant order pilasters with deep composite capitals and a plain entablature. A tablet within the pediment bears a worn inscription, and foundation stones are located within the panelled pilaster bases. A central three-light window features marginal glazing bars and arched lights, keystones, and an impost band, with a panelled apron and inset balustrading. Paired, semicircular-headed doorways are positioned below, featuring similar classical ornamentation and panelled double doors. The flanking one-window bays have dentil cornices above a blocking course, topped with hipped cross roofs. Sash windows are recessed in full height, with arched heads to the first floor and square heads below, both with bracket cills.

The front-facing forecourt is grassed, bordered by a brick wall to the left and spear-headed railings to the front and right, complete with gates. The four-bay side elevations feature windows mirroring those on the front, with the addition of freestone lintels to the ground floor on the left-hand side. The right-hand side is cement-rendered, while the left-hand side is brick with a plinth.

A Baptist Chapel School Hall is bonded transversely at the rear, displaying three-window gable ends with arched-headed sash windows including voussoirs and keystones. A tablet is located on the left gable. The rear end wall is slate hung. Stepped back beyond the school hall adjoins the irregularly shaped slate-hung Chapel house, which features a four-panel door in the angle and a four-window gabled front with small-pane sash windows and a boarded door.

The interior is of a classical style, featuring a raked gallery with a panelled front supported by cast-iron columns. The ceiling is plain ribbed with plaster roses. A two-tier platform is present, with ironwork foliage adorning the balustrade. A tall, classical arch motif is located behind the platform, framed by a pilastered and pedimented architrave.

The building contributes to the group value of the area.