Bethania Chapel, Heol Las, Talgarth, Breconshire

Description

Name: Bethania Independent Chapel

Denomination: Independent (later United Reformed Church)

Built: 1811
Rebuilt: 1822

Photography: John Ball
Date: 5 July 2016
Camera: Canon IXUS 115 H5 digital compact

Note 1: Bethania Chapel was built in 1811 and rebuilt in 1822. It was rebuilt again in 1891 in the Gothic style with a long-wall entry plan. [Source: Coflein database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (accessed 9 July 2016)]

Note 2: (From the Mail Online website, Oct 2014) Bethania United Reform Church was put up for sale earlier this year [2014], after falling into disuse around 2009 when a new church was set up elsewhere in the village. In the prospectus for the property, prospective buyers were told that although they would have to maintain the graveyard there was no obligation to allow new burials there. However, a generous farmer and his wife have now stepped in and saved the cemetery – ensuring that future generations of local families will be laid to rest together. [The couple] are believed to have spent as much as £100,000 buying the land, which is attached to a disused Protestant chapel in the village of Talgarth, near the Brecon Beacons. [Source: Mail Online website; article published 16 Oct 2014 (accessed 9 Jul 2016)]

Note 3: (From Brecon & Radnor Express website, Aug 2014) Husbands and wives wishing to be buried next to already departed loved ones in the graveyard of a Breconshire chapel have learnt that the burial ground is for sale, together with the chapel and adjoining allotments, writes Anita Howells. News of the decision to sell off the Bethania United Reform Church site in Talgarth by the URC National Synod of Wales has shocked residents. [Source: Brecon & Radnor Express website; article published 13 Aug 2014 (accessed 9 July 2016)]

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/churches/talgarth3.htm (link opens in new window)