Lloyd Street Chapel, Llanelli facts for kids

Lloyd Street, Llanelli was a special kind of church called an Independent (or Congregationalist) chapel. It was located on Lloyd Street in Llanelli, a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales. All the church services at Lloyd Street were held in the Welsh language.

This chapel was started in 1886 by a group of people who decided to leave a nearby church called Tabernacle. They had some disagreements at Tabernacle, and a number of members felt it was time to create their own place of worship.

Starting a New Church

Why Members Left Tabernacle

The Tabernacle church had some big disagreements during the time a minister named Rev J. Pandy Williams was there. Because of these issues, a large group of members had already left earlier to start another church called Ebenezer. When Rev Pandy Williams left Tabernacle, some of his supporters also decided they couldn't stay.

Forming the New Congregation

On March 21, 1886, this group of people held a meeting at Lakefield School. Important community leaders like Dr J. A. Jones and Joseph Williams were part of this meeting. They officially formed their new church on April 9, 1886.

Building the Chapel

It took them less than a year and a half to build their new chapel. The new building was on Lloyd Street, which was quite close to the old Tabernacle church.

Opening the Chapel

Laying the Memorial Stone

On July 12, 1887, an important ceremony took place. Sir Arthur Stepney laid a special memorial stone for the new chapel. Ministers from other local churches, including Thomas Johns from Capel Als, Thomas Davies from Siloah, and Dewi Medi from Dock Chapel, led the service.

Grand Opening Events

The Lloyd Street Chapel officially opened its doors to everyone over three days. The grand opening events happened from August 28 to August 30, 1887.

Ministers at Lloyd Street

J. Camwy Evans's Ministry

In 1931, a minister named J. Camwy Evans came to lead the chapel. He had a very interesting background! His parents had moved from Wales to a Welsh community in Patagonia, South America, in 1878. J. Camwy Evans came back to Wales as a young man to train to be a minister, even though he didn't know much English at first.

Before coming to Llanelli, he had spent sixteen years as a minister at Pen-ref Chapel in Caernarfon. In Caernarfon, he was very active in public life. However, when he moved to Llanelli, he focused mostly on his work at the chapel and caring for his church members. He left Lloyd Street Chapel in 1947.

Chapel Closure and Demolition

The Chapel Closes Its Doors

Sadly, the Lloyd Street Chapel closed down in June 1991. After it closed, the building was damaged by vandals. The beautiful Nicholson organ inside was broken, and parts of it were used to damage the ceiling.

Demolition of the Building

Eventually, the chapel building had to be torn down. This happened in 1997.

What's There Now

Today, the land where the Lloyd Street Chapel once stood has been redeveloped. New offices for the Probation Service are now located on the site.