First visit to Mynyddbach Chapel

Today I made my first visit to Mynyddbach Chapel - important to the Daniel James story in so many different ways.  As a young child, Daniel lived nearby in a thatched cottage in Llangyfelach Road in Treboeth and he joined his family in regular worship there.  In later years Daniel was encouraged in his writing by members of the chapel. Finally, on his death in 1920, he was laid to rest in its cemetery.

The chapel was not at all how I imagined it.  Not knowing the area very well, I expected to find it on a main road nestled between other houses and buildings.  Instead, I turned off the main road and travelled down a short, quiet road with horses nibbling grass in fields to my right.  

Horses on the road to the chapel

The chapel faces you as you come to the end of the road, together with its neighbour, The Welcome Inn.  To the left of the Chapel as you look at its front is the cemetery which covers a total of around four and a half acres.  Overgrown but tremendously atmospheric, it has plots that date back to the early 1700s.  It is worth travelling to the site for the graveyard alone.

Mynyddbach Chapel

Mynyddbach Chapel cemetery

Inside the chapel, my breath was taken away.  First of all, the pure size of the actually chapel room is astonishing.  The two-storey seating, with its wooden benches, are still in situ and would have accommodated a huge congregation.  Ivor, our guide, explained that members of the congregation often brought their own cushions to make the services more comfortable!

Restoration work is being undertaken on the organ and Teresa and myself were lucky to hear a tune from it whilst we were there.  I can confirm that the acoustics of the chapel are wonderful!

The original character of the building still remains including the intricate painted metal railings and painted ceiling decoration.   

Painted metalwork

Ceiling decoration

Teresa and Bev at the pulpit

This will be the venue for the Cymanfa Ganu on Wednesday 23 January 2013.  It starts at 7pm and all are welcome.  I can't think of a more fitting place to celebrate the life of the bard Daniel James.

As to the meeting...it went brilliantly!  Connected Communities Project Co-ordinator Kate Spiller got some great ideas as to how the schools can get involved and what format the animated film might take.  The passion of Treboeth History Group members Ivor Williams and Geraint Williams to bring Daniel James' story to a wider audience was amazing - they have been tremendously welcoming and supportive to Kate, Teresa and myself and are keen to share the information they have acquired over the years whilst looking into the bard's life.  For us as University researchers, Teresa and myself got the chance to talk about our research so far and discuss the way forward, followed by our tour of the chapel and grounds.  

Geraint, Kate, Ivor and Teresa after the meeting

It was a great morning and I can't wait to go back!