St John's Chapel is a Grade II listed building in the Brecon Beacons National Park local planning authority area, Wales. First listed on 24 October 1951. School.

St John's Chapel

WRENN ID
final-pavement-owl
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Brecon Beacons National Park
Constituency
Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP: David Chadwick (LD)
Country
Wales
Date first listed
24 October 1951
Type
School
Address
St John's Chapel, Hay, Powys, HR3 5AA
OS grid reference
SO 230 424
Coordinates
52.07465, -3.12472
Source
Cadw listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

St John's Chapel is a building designed in a U-shape, with the chapel on the left and a schoolroom or reading room on the right. It features two-storey elevations made of rubble, a plinth, a slate roof, and a brick chimney stack. The schoolroom has a gable parapet and broad kneelers, which are also repeated on the right side and rear elevations. The windows are timber-framed with leaded glass, including one cross frame on the right side, and they have voussoir lintels and Tudor labels. The entrances to both the schoolroom and chapel are pointed arches with voussoirs and keystones, leading to boarded and studded doors. There is a single-storey L-plan extension to the left with a small forecourt. A pointed arch bellcote is positioned to the left over the chapel, aligned north-south, and features a crucifix at the north end. The bell is inscribed "Edward Wellington CW 1718" and was made by Henry Williams. The building has a rounded southeast corner and outside steps leading to the rear.

Inside the chapel, there is a richly carved oak reredos from the Jacobean period, originally from Chipford and previously used domestically. The oak altar comes from Whitney. To the right, there is a portrait sculpture in the style of Donatello, signed by B Wilson, Florence 1898. The schoolroom retains one grilled opening.

Local climate

St John's Chapel receives an average of 900 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 67% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 54% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 52 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 93% of listed buildings. Of these, 29 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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