Chapel at heart of Cwm Rhondda hymn for sale

A GRADE II-LISTED chapel and vestry building steeped in Welsh history has gone on the market for £47,500 including the graveyard and the remarkable interior.

- JO RIDOUT

Capel Rhondda is located in Hopkinstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and has welcomed the congregation since the present building was constructed in 1885 on the site of the first Rhondda Baptist Chapel, said to have been built in 1852. The adjoining Sunday school building was erected in 1905.

The chapel was Grade II listed by Cadw in 2001 for its "architectural interest as a late 19th-century chapel in a prominent location retaining its original character" and, according to the listing, it is where composer John Hughes, of Llantwit Fardre, wrote the well-known hymn Cwm Rhondda for an anniversary service at the chapel in 1907.

From the outside the classical-style chapel boasts an imposing and handsome stone facade. Inside, the chapel has so much of its original character and features remaining, all of which will be included in the sale, say the vendors.