Harcourt Terrace Methodist Church, Harcourt Terrace, Tredegar, Monmouthshire

Description

Name: Harcourt Terrace

Denomination: Wesleyan Methodist

Built: 1825
Enlarged: 1839
School added: 1883
Remodelled: 1904

Photography: John Ball
Date: 24 Jun 2010
Camera: Nikon D50 digital SLR

Note 1: Harcourt Terrace Methodist Chapel was built in 1825 as an English language Wesleyan chapel for people arriving to work at the ironworks. In 1839 it was enlarged, and in 1864 became head of the Wesleyan Area Circuit. A school room was added in 1883 and remodelled in 1904. The present chapel is built of roughly worked and coursed stone, in the Lombardic style with a gable entry plan. The facade has three bays divided by plain pilaster rising uninterrupted to the pediment corbelling. There is a round-headed doorway to each outer bay with plain ashlar heads and advanced blocks of stonework to either side. these date from the 1904 remodelling and replace an earlier central entrance which was furnished with a porch. Above each is a small, round window to the gallery level. To the centre bay, there is a series of 5 plain, round-headed windows at ground floor level (dating 1904) with a triple window above. This has Romanesque colums dividing and framing the lights, supportin plain ashlar heads. To the right is the schoolroom, also built of rough stonework on a gable entry plan. This is entered via a left hand door, with two windows to the right and a further three at first floor level. All openings have roughly worled quoins, with plain headings and keystones. In the pediment is a round window with four, equally placed keystones. [Source: Coflein database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (accessed 16 July 2015)]

Note 2: The interior has a balustraded pulpit in a similar Romanesque style to the facade, with carved capitals. To the rear is a large arch with stairs to a choir gallery and organ, bought from a chapel in Ferndale. Behind are two stained glass windows dating 1904. The four sided gallery has a front decorated with plaster, sporting a decoration of vines on a background of shields linked at the top by branches. This is deeply splayed at the front end and curves upwards at the pulpit end to continue across the front of the choir gallery. This is supported on cast iron columns with bell-type caps. The ceiling is modern. [Source: Coflein database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (accessed 16 July 2015)]

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/churches/tredegar8.htm (link opens in new window)