Bethania Welsh Presbyterian Church

Bethania Welsh Presbyterian Church

This chapel is built of roughcast with ashlar dressings and slate roofs with coped shouldered gables. The building has an unusual plan derived from house design, comprising the chapel range parallel to the road with a centre ridge lantern, a lower vestry wing projecting to the left, a two-storey porch bay containing a stair to the gallery projecting to the right, and a flat-roofed lobby between with coped parapet.

The main chapel narrows for the gallery at the left end, with the re-entrant angle obscured by the porch bay. Windows are generally flush ashlar with rusticated sides, some with chamfering to the main windows and leaded glazing. The chapel side wall has two narrow windows of two lights over a single pane above the lobby, which has a door to the left in a plain ashlar frame and two small narrow lights. The porch bay has a first-floor small two-light unmoulded window over a ground floor broad ashlar doorway with deep chamfered jambs, moulded segmental arch dying into piers and curved hoodmould stepped over the centre, dated 1911. The roof is carried down over an outshut to the right with one small single light to front and three stepped lights in the side wall. The vestry has one unmoulded side window and a big end-gable three-light window, segmental arched with stepped hood matching the porch. The window has stone mullions, a single transom, and chamfering to the outer frame only.

The chapel end wall has a large five-light mullioned and transomed window similar to the vestry window but with recessed intermediate mullions in the top-lights. Three ground floor plain single lights are below. The side wall has a windowless recessed left end, then the main part has three long windows, each two-light above a transom and single-light below. A lean-to organ-chamber with continuous roof is to the extreme right. The ridge lantern has a copper base, battered louvered sides and a copper pyramid cap with finial.

The interior has a complex plan whereby the main chapel is linked by side arches to the vestry, end gallery and organ chamber to the right of the pulpit. The main chapel has one of J H Morgan's typical densely timbered roofs in five bays, the main part open and ceiled at upper collar level with sloping sides and vertical panels below. Trusses have a tie-beam on corbels, main collar with pilaster posts between and further posts above to the apex collar. A longitudinal beam runs down each side from the end gallery, carrying the side vertical panels, with a flat ceiling between this and the walls.

The end gallery projects with curved angles and pilaster divisions between panels, boarding under the moulded rail, under shallow shouldered arches. A thickly moulded top rail is present, with more ornate fluted applied pilasters with panelled tops between every second panel and against the walls at the ends. The underside is panelled with moulded beams, with fluted rebated pilasters beneath each side and two similar posts.

Two big arches open to the vestry at the end of the left side, with high panelling under leaded big mullioned arched lights. Pews are arranged in three blocks with boarded backs and flat caps to the bench ends. Inward-facing pews are on each side of the pulpit. The set fawr surrounds a table with a classical design of cornice over square piers. The pulpit behind has three steps up on each side with concave swept rail, a square pulpit front of three open bays with paired turned balusters between, a moulded rail and bookrest. The tall back to the platform is boarded at dado level with vertical tall panels above, centre recessed under a segmental arch with narrow panels under flat cornice, and sides have similar top panel and cornice at lower level. The back wall is slightly recessed to echo the gallery recess at the opposite end. Three small lights are set high. A marble memorial to Reverend William Prytherch (died 1888) by D R Williams, Llanelli, is to the left, with the organ in an arched recess on the right side wall.

The vestry has open trusses with tie-beam and posts up to collar.