Ann Griffiths Memorial Chapel and Attached House (Dolwen)

Ann Griffiths Memorial Chapel and Attached House (Dolwen)

The chapel and associated buildings are constructed in rock-faced informally coursed masonry with larger quoins, ashlar dressings and slate roofs. The chapel itself displays Arts and Crafts influenced free Gothic styling, while the attached domestic building is vernacular in character.

The chapel presents a distinctive front elevation. A coped and lead-dressed shouldered front gable rises to its apex, where an empty bellcote is positioned. Raised piers stand just in from each outer angle, rising to small corniced caps, with similar caps echoed slightly lower on the outer angles themselves. The bellcote features a chamfered Tudor-arched opening and a stepped head with three corniced caps matching those on the gable angles. Two deeply sloping buttresses occupy the centre of the gable wall, apparently rising through a flat-roofed porch to frame the centre window. Between these buttresses sits the porch door, flanked by curved walls on each side; the porch coping is lead-dressed. Above the porch, three ashlar chamfered lancet windows are set with hoodmoulds and leaded glazing, the taller centre lancet positioned between the buttresses. The masonry incorporates decorative ashlar banding: one band at the springing of the centre lancet, another just below at the springing of the outer lancets, with the upper band running out to the foot of the gable coping and the lower band continuing around the outer piers. A further band at sill level also runs around the piers and into the ashlar low parapet of the curved porch. This parapet shows a slight upsweep to its centre over a moulded cambered central arch, with the ashlar band carried across the buttresses forming the door jambs. The rounded side walls each contain an ashlar single light with another band at sill level, broken forward at the buttresses.

The left side wall comprises three bays with two gabled buttresses between three pairs of ashlar lancets with leaded lights and an ashlar flush sill band. The right side is similar but of two bays with one buttress. The chapel roof carries the leaded base of a missing ventilator on its ridge and is half-hipped behind the front bellcote.

The vestry wing extends to the rear with a centre stone eaves-dormer featuring a shouldered gable. A flush two-light leaded stone mullion window sits above a similar three-light window with ashlar bands at head and sill. To the left of these windows is a framed board door with an ashlar lintel. The flush band at sill level continues either side of the door, but the band at window head level stops before the door, whose lintel is positioned slightly lower. Both bands terminate at the construction joint where the later domestic wing adjoins.

The later domestic wing to the right has a slightly higher roof with a red-brick stack at its rear. Facing the courtyard, a plain door sits in the angle to the left with a single light above, breaking the eaves under a shouldered gable. The end gable facing the road is coped and lead-dressed, with ashlar four-light mullion windows to each storey: the upper window is recessed under an ashlar segmental-pointed arch, while the lower window is flush with longer narrower lights and a rough stone relieving arch. The outer side features a projecting wing with a large red-brick ridge stack and a small chamfered wall across the ground floor angle carrying an ashlar single small light. This wing's side elevation has a ground floor two-light window with a rough stone relieving arch, and the gable end is rendered above the first floor window, which has a four-light upper window with hood-mould and a two-light lower window positioned right of centre. The window frames of the domestic wing have been replaced in uPVC but with respect for the original openings and thinner than usual sections.

Interior

The porch interior features stone construction. The chapel interior is plastered and white-painted, accessed from the porch via two rough stone pointed arches. The interior is broad and light, lacking galleries. The roof is boarded and steep, spanning three bays with arch-braced collar trusses and hammer-beams carried on four large carved head corbels. These corbels are lettered to name them: Ann Griffiths of Dolwar Fechan, the Reverend John Hughes of Pontrobert, David Davies of Neuadd, and the Reverend R. Roberts of Dolanog. The roof is ceiled at collar level. Dark stained pews are arranged in three blocks with a staggered centre division corresponding to the two entrances, creating two separate seating areas. A boarded dado runs around the walls. The right side wall contains a broad opening with a panelled screen opening into the vestry.

The pulpit sits within a square enclosure (without seating) defined by Arts and Crafts timber railings featuring stick balusters linked by horseshoe arches, with square newels and moulded caps. The side railings step up once towards the back; the front rail is short with a newel at each end and a small table to the centre with outswept supports and a flattened ogee head to the opening beneath. The pulpit is reached by two steps up to its platform, with similar railings on either side of the single-panel pulpit front, which bears an embroidered angel in the panel beneath the bookrest. The newels carry tall metal lampstands with oil lamps featuring etched glass globes. Behind the pulpit, dark stained timber panelling displays seven tall fielded panels with square panels above, the latter infilled with patterned cloth. A long cornice extends to each side to carry curtains in similar cloth, hanging down to the dado. The vestry features a similar dado and a small stone fireplace.