The Primitive Methodist Chapel in Monnow Street was designed by the Minister, Rev George Dobson, and opened in 1864. The simple brick building (left) is set back from the other houses in the street and seats 150. The Manse, where the Minister lived is next door. The typical congregation would be working class. John Wilding and his family lived here prior to his death in 1923. According to Joan Wilding (granddaughter) there is a commemorative plaque inside the Chapel to his memory. In 2009 the Manse was part of an empty Fish & Chip shop.
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Demolished and residential development planned for site of former chapel in November 2023
Further research on this chapel shows that it appears in the Coflein (National Monuments Record of Wale) as Hebron Hall (Pentecostal), Monnow St, Monmouth. This site included lists of several interior and exterior images. Further images (listed under Hebron Hall) appear also on Google.
It seems Claudee is the English pronunciation of Clawdd-du on the west bank of the River Monmow
The Minister here from September 1917 to August 1919 was Frederick J Pennock. Technically he was a Lay Agent but local reports often refer to him as the Rev F J Pennock. One of his daughters (Grace Old), who later became an enthusiastic member of the Salvation Army, wrote and published privately an Autobiography called Amazing Grace. She describes her time in Monmouth aged about 11 years old. After Monmouth her father moved to Narberth and the Pembroke Dock Circuit. A full biography is in the Lay Preachers section of this site.
‘We moved on to the town of Monmouth. Here we lived at first on the outskirts of the town, as the manse was still in the process of being done up. Claudee was the name of the place and the elementary school was quite near……opposite the Manse (there were) two large four story buildings (which) housed some soldiers. My father worked hard on this circuit; there were about five places he had to go to by bicycle…The gas meter was kept underneath the chapel (for there were two long tunnels underneath the chapel) and we would be at worship in the evening service when suddenly all the light would go out and we sat in darkness until my father would go and turn it on again. My parent built up quite a good Sunday school but they were mostly children from the poorer classes
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