Cwmergyr PM Chapel, Cwmfrheidol, Ceredigion
Picture of the former Primitive Methodist Chapel at Cwmegyr
Map showing Cwmergyr Primitive Methodist Chapel
former Cwmergyr Primitive Methodist chapel
Basil Twigg 2020
A site I have been aware of for some time but not yet visited is a former Primitive Methodist Chapel at NGR SN 7950 8266 in Cwmergyr, Cwmrheidol, Ceredigion. The attached picture shows the building to be of poor repair which was how it was described to me a number of years ago and little appears on the records for the site. Even the Welsh Monuments database Coflein which usually overflows with information has very few words. I am assuming it was built ( before 1890 ) to service the faith of workers at the Esgair Llu Mine and Quarry in what is a very remote location though the early OS maps state the mine was already disused by the early 1900’s. The attached picture is from the Welsh Monuments Database and their copyright.
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Basil Twigg adds: There is one important bit of information relating to Cwmergyr at the National Library of Wales. (currently closed to readers and with only a very limited service from 1 September.) The online catalogue indicates an item of only 4 pages (in Welsh):
A meeting to celebrate the centenary of Cwmergyr Chapel, 1871-1971: Thursday June 17th 1971
Basil has been looking at the three varieties of Methodist chapel at the eastern end of what was the vast Llanbadarn Fawr parish, within a few miles of each other and in a lead mining area – Cwmergyr Primitive Methodist chapel Ponterwyd Calvinist Methodist chapel and, to a lesser extent, Ystumtuen Wesleyan Methodist chapel and wondering about the links between them.. You can read about Ponterwyd Methodist chapel here.
Many thanks to Basil Twigg for the 2020 photograph. This is Basil’s account:
“Over the past few months, the travel restrictions in Wales have encouraged my wife and myself to look for places of interest in our home county of Ceredigion. The valley of Dyffryn Castell, no more than 15 or so miles east of Aberystwyth, is somewhere we have never visited – despite having driven close to it on the main road dozens of times. You see the valley as you pass but if you notice anything at all, it tends to be remains of the lead mines.
Having promised ourselves a closer look at the mines for some time, we looked at my (old) OS map, noticed there was a church / chapel at the top end of the valley and were surprised to find it was a Primitive Methodist chapel. We are much more used to Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Wales – in Ceredigion in particular – and, to a lesser extent, Wesleyan chapels (particularly in connection with lead mines). Anyway, we decided to go and have a look.
The result was something of a surprise and I am attaching a picture of what appears to be on the site. Compare this with the picture on the Dyfed FHS website:
https://www.dyfedfhs.org.uk/resource-type.php?county=cgn&type=C#images-110
To put this in context, the wide snow covered lane in the picture is still there. The rough track up to the chapel is now where the car and caravan are parked and the wild area above the track is a more manicured garden.”
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