Gwawr, Aberaman facts for kids

Gwawr, Aberaman was a Baptist chapel located on Regent Street in Aberaman, near Aberdare, South Wales. It started as a branch of another chapel called Calfaria, Aberdare.

The Start of Gwawr Chapel

Gwawr Chapel began in 1848. At first, meetings were held at the King William Inn on Cardiff Road in Aberaman. This shows that early chapels sometimes had connections with public houses. The chapel was built in 1849. To form Gwawr, 121 members left Calfaria, Aberdare to create this new church.

Later that year, David Bevan Jones (Dewi Elfed) became the first minister. There was a disagreement, and Jones tried to connect the chapel with a different religious group. The original leaders took action to get the building back. In November 1851, the minister was asked to leave the chapel.

After this difficult time, William Jones, who was an assistant preacher at Calfaria, Aberdare, became the new minister. This was likely arranged to prevent similar problems. D. Evans of Llaneurwg followed him, but stayed only a short time. In 1858, the Rev T Nicholas from Pembrey became the minister. He started on December 26, 1858, and served until he passed away on November 9, 1865. By 1859, the chapel had 270 members. During his time, new chapels were formed from Gwawr, including one in Abercwmboi in 1860 and another in Seion, Cwmaman in 1861.

Growing Bigger: Rebuilding the Chapel

In 1866, the Rev Morgan Phillips from Tabor, Brynmawr, became the minister, starting on April 30. By this time, the original building was too small because the population of Aberaman was growing very quickly. Gwawr Chapel was rebuilt in 1870. The new building cost £1,707 and could hold up to 850 people. Phillips resigned from his ministry on September 6, 1874, and passed away soon after.

A Long-Serving Minister: Thomas Davies

Thomas Davies served as minister for a long time, from 1875 until 1908, which was 33 years. Davies was born in Llantood, Pembrokeshire, in 1845. He first worked as a schoolteacher. He was then encouraged to become a minister and began his work at a church in Llangynidr, where he stayed for nine years. In 1875, he came to Aberaman to take over from Morgan Phillips. Thomas Davies became a very important person in the Baptist community. He was the secretary of the East Glamorgan Baptist association and wrote under the name 'Didymus'. He stayed at Aberaman for the rest of his career and passed away in 1908 at the age of 62. A new vestry, which is a room used by the minister and for meetings, was added to the chapel in 1890. This addition cost £900.

The Chapel's Later Years

After Thomas Davies, W. T. Francis became minister in 1909 but only stayed for four years before moving to another chapel. The Rev T. Lloyd Rees then became minister in 1915.

In 1916, Gwawr Chapel had 205 members, and by 1925, there were 189. D.G. Harries became minister in 1920 and served until he passed away in 1941. J. Gwyn Davies was minister from 1945 to 1957, followed by T. Arfon Jones in 1960.

By 1955, the number of members had dropped to 66, and by 1963, it was down to 42. In 1970, the church members moved from the original Gwawr building to the former Hebron Calvinistic Methodist church. The old Gwawr building was then taken down.