Country Wales, United Kingdom Designated 19 May 1981 Architectural type Church | Denomination Independent chapel Style Early 19th century Heritage designation Listed building | |
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Location 7 Friars Park, Carmarthen | ||
Capel Heol Awst is an Independent Welsh chapel in the town of Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The present building dates from 1826–27, replacing a 1726 building which itself had been enlarged in 1802 and again in 1826 to seat a congregation of 1000. It is located at 7 Friars Park, Carmarthen. It was designated as a Grade II* listed building on 19 May 1981.
The chapel was built in 1826 and 1827 by William Owen of Haverfordwest and is considered the finest chapel of its kind in the area. The exterior is plain with a big, hipped roof. There are two arched windows above two Iconic doorways. The interior is spacious, broad and well-fitted, with a single deep gallery. The box pews are neatly fitted and there is a most unusual pulpit; this is shaped like a wine-glass with a curved flight of steps. A similar pulpit is to be found in the nearby Capel Heol Dŵr, which was built in 1831, but they are rare elsewhere having disappeared when alterations and enlargements were made to chapels. Tabernacle Chapel, Llandovery, built in 1836, has a similar broad interior but differs in having large Gothic windows and a gabled roof.
Capel Heol Awst was designated as a Grade II*-listed building on 19 May 1981, being an example of one of the outstanding early nineteenth century chapels in Wales, with "strong external architectural character and a good interior". The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales curates the archaeological, architectural and historic records for this church. These include digital photographs and colour transparencies of the exterior and interior of the building.