Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tabernacle Chapel
Capel y Tabernacl
Location	Morriston, Swansea
Country	Wales
Denomination	Union of Welsh Independents
Website	morristontabernacl.org
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	30 September 1993
Architect(s)	John Humphrey
Years built	1874-1877, additions through 1890
Completed	1872

The Tabernacle Chapel is a very special church building in Morriston, Swansea, Wales. It's also known by its Welsh name, Capel y Tabernacl, or sometimes as Libanus Chapel. This chapel is so important that it's a Grade I listed building. This means it is one of the most important historical buildings in the country.

Building the Tabernacle Chapel

The Tabernacle Chapel was designed by an architect named John Humphrey. It was built in 1872. The building cost a lot of money, about £15,000 back then. This would be millions of pounds today. It took over 40 years for people to pay off the building's debt. They had a special celebration on New Year's Day in 1914. This was to mark the debt finally being cleared.

A Big Place for Worship

This chapel is very large. It can seat up to 3,000 people. Because of its size and importance, some people call it the "Nonconformist Cathedral of Wales." This means it's a very grand and important church for people who are not part of the main Church of Wales.

The design of the Tabernacle Chapel was so popular that many other chapels in Wales copied it. Inside, the main focus is the pulpit. This is where the minister speaks. Below the pulpit is the Sedd Fawr. This Welsh phrase means "big seat." It is where the deacons, who help run the church, sit.

Above the organ, you can see a message written in Welsh. It says, Addolwch yr Arglwydd mewn Prydferthwch Sancteiddrwydd. This means "Worship ye the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness." It's a line from Psalm 96 in the Bible.

Music and Discoveries

The chapel is a popular place for music. Two local choirs, the Tabernacle Morriston Choir and the Morriston Ladies Choir, use it for practice. They also perform concerts there.

During some repair work in 2012, workers found something interesting. They discovered a sixpenny coin from 1872. It was placed under one of the chapel's tall, pointed parts called a pinnacle. This was unusual for a Nonconformist church. The coin was put there by the daughter of Daniel Edwards, who was the builder of the chapel.

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