Chapels Today - Information Needed!

Interior view of Ebenezer Chapel, Tumble
NPRN:6570    DI2008_0364

The NonConformist chapel in Wales is part and parcel of the landscape, whether that backdrop is rural, urban or industrial. This statement is substantiated by the fact that six and a half thousand chapels were built in the towns and countryside of Wales during the last two centuries. Today, however, the chapels are disappearing from our lives almost as quickly as they appeared in their heyday.

The Royal Commission has undertaken a massive project to record these chapels over the last few years, and one important aspect of the work is looking at what is happening to chapel buildings today. This survey consists of trying to establish the status of each chapel, whether it is still a ‘chapel’ (with active services), or whether it has been converted, demolished, is lying disused or derelict, or something else. Where conversion has taken place we are recording the new use, and we are also noting any chapels which are in a transitional phase of being for sale or in the planning process.

Our coverage of Wales to this point is very varied. In Anglesey, for example, we are only missing the status for three chapels, representing less than 2% of the original total. Unfortunately, the urbanised historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouth are more complex and we have recorded less than a half and a third of the status information respectively.

Would you be able to help us record the present use of chapels? We are aiming to complete this element of the research by the end of December 2011. Lists of chapels for which we are looking for information are available from anne.harris@rcahmw.gov.uk or susan.fielding@rcahmw.gov.uk

Thank you very much in advance for any assistance you can give.

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