Calfaria Chapel, Aberdare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Calfaria, Aberdare |
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Calfaria, Aberdare, now closed, in 2014
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| OS grid reference | SO00190245 |
| Location | Monk Street, Aberdare |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| History | |
| Founded | 1811 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 1 October 1991 |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Joseph |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Style | Early 19th century |
| Completed | 1852 (replacing earlier building) |
| Construction cost | £1,400 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 840 |
Calfaria Baptist Chapel, Aberdare was a very important church in the South Wales Valleys. It was one of the biggest Baptist churches and the oldest in the Aberdare valley. The chapel had a beautiful inside with a fancy ceiling and a balcony with detailed metal designs. These styles were popular in Welsh chapels during the late 1800s. An organ was added in 1903. It was played for the last time in 2012, just before the chapel closed its doors.
Contents
Early Days of Calfaria Chapel
Before Calfaria Chapel was built, Baptists in the area met in farm buildings. They also gathered in a large room at the Farmers Arms pub in Aberdare. In 1811, they rented some land and opened Carmel Baptist Church in 1812. This first church was sometimes called Penpound. The first minister was William Lewis. The church faced challenges early on because the Aberdare Ironworks closed in 1815. William Lewis's time as minister ended after only two years.
Thomas Price: A Key Leader at Calfaria
Thomas Price became the minister in 1845. As more people joined, the Carmel building became too small. So, Carmel was given to a smaller English-speaking group. A new, bigger chapel, Calfaria, was built nearby.
Building the New Calfaria Chapel
The new Calfaria Chapel was designed by Thomas Joseph. He was a mining engineer from Hirwaun. The building cost £1,400 and could seat 840 people. The chapel was made bigger in 1859. Calfaria Hall, a building next to it, was added in 1871. The first service at Calfaria was held on February 8, 1852. By this time, Thomas Price was a well-known public figure. He was famous for speaking out against the 1847 Education Reports. These reports had criticized Welsh education and the Welsh language.
Calfaria's Growth and New Churches
At one point, Calfaria Chapel had over a thousand members. Many hundreds of these members were sent to start new churches. Thomas Price encouraged this growth. For example, in 1856, 91 members from Calfaria helped start the English Baptist Church at Carmel. Other new churches like Bethel, Abernant (1857) and Gwawr, Aberaman (1849) also began with members from Calfaria. In total, 927 people left Calfaria to help form new churches in the area.
Thomas Price made sure these Baptist churches stayed connected. They held special baptism services in the Cynon River. They also had yearly eisteddfodau, which are Welsh festivals of music and poetry.
Baptisms in the River Cynon
In 1913, a local person remembered these special events:
"I remember that once a month on Sunday afternoons, Dr. Price, the Baptist minister, used to baptise his recent converts in the Cynon River, alongside the iron bridge at the bottom of Commercial Street. I have seen as many as 25 or 30 converts, men and women, on the same afternoon. On these occasions the whole of the Baptist community used to meet at the chapel and march ii procession through the streets with the converts, the men converts being attired in long black robes and the women in white. They marched through the streets from the chapel to the place of baptism singing hymns. As a matter of course, large crowds gathered on the river banks to witness the immersions."
Calfaria remained a very important Baptist church in the valley. Thomas Price's influence was slightly affected when he did not support Henry Richard in the 1868 General Election. In 1869, Price visited the United States for six months with his daughter. His funeral in 1888 was one of the largest ever seen in the valley.
James Griffiths' Time as Minister
After Thomas Price passed away, James Griffiths became the new minister. He had been a minister at Calfaria, Llanelli. He was welcomed at special services on Christmas Day in 1888.
In 1898, the Welsh Baptist Union held its yearly meeting at Calfaria. In 1903, a new organ was bought for £850. James Griffiths later wrote the church's history for its 100th anniversary in 1912. The church had 537 members in 1899. This number slowly went down to 420 by 1916 and 396 in 1925.
New Recreation Ground
In 1923, James Griffiths was chosen as president of the Baptist Union of Wales. During his time as president, Calfaria started an exciting new project. They opened a recreation ground at Mardy Field nearby. This ground had two tennis courts, two bowling greens, and a play area for children. There was also a pavilion building that could hold 150 people.
W.M. Llewellyn, a local official, opened the recreation ground. He mentioned that some people at Calfaria had doubts about the plan. However, he believed that having sports run by a religious group was very good. He said that churches needed to offer things that would attract people in a modern world. Until World War II began, the chapel had a lawn tennis team that played against other local teams.
By 1925, the membership was 395. James Griffiths finished his time as minister in 1930. He passed away three years later and was buried in Blackmill, near Bridgend.
Calfaria in the 20th Century and Beyond
D. Herbert Davies took over as minister in 1932. He served until 1947, when he moved to Penuel, Carmarthen.
It took four years to find a new minister. In 1951, H.D. Thomas became the minister. He had previously served at Hebron, Holyhead. He stayed at Calfaria until 1961. Dennis Jenkins became the minister in 1962. By 1963, the number of members had dropped to 168.
In the 1970s, Alun Davies became the minister at Calfaria. He had served at other chapels before. Alun Davies passed away on December 22, 1985. His funeral was held at Calfaria eight days later. His close friend, the poet Rhydwen Williams, was part of the funeral service.
Like many chapels, Calfaria faced challenges as the use of the Welsh language declined in the valley. By 2003, there were only 19 members. On average, only six people attended the evening service. After many years of declining numbers, Calfaria Chapel finally closed in 2012.
In August 2019, it was announced that a retired Baptist minister, Robert Stivey, had bought the Calfaria building. He bought it with the idea of reopening it as a community church.
