Saturday 21 June 2014

Nantgwyllt Church


Back in 1880 there was a small community at Nant-Gwyllt Shelly lived there at the manor for a time and no doubt visited the small chapel there. People used to attend services there on a Sunday afternoon lead by a pastor who would visit on horseback. Nearby children would go to the school and a watermill cut timber and ground grain near the church. This would all change in 1893 when Birmingham Waterworks Company built a dam across the Claerwen valley. By 1896 the community had disappeared under the Caban-coch Reservoir

The old chapel before it was submerged in the reservoir
The map above is one I found and is dated just before work began on the reservoir, the chapel is not marked with a cross like OS maps  but I think is towards the bottom of the map






 In this valley there used be the little community of Nant-gwyllt


A new church was built nearby by Birmingham Waterworks Company  to replace the old drowned one.
This was the first time I came across the church back in 2008, at the time I thought it was closed up and derelict but I found the porch open and went in for a look round and some photos.






Moving on to 2104 and the place looks different, gone are the tall trees surrounding it






Nearby is the church information board with some history on it as well




 The path leading to the church






And the first view you get as you walk through the gate






 


Here we look at the church from the west end with the Reservoir that took it's predecessor in the background
There were no graves in the churchyard I could see but this memorial seat overlooks the  Reservoir





View from the churchyard looking towards the reservoir







 

Inside the church looking down the Nave








The font in the back of the church which I forgot to check what the plaque said. The Chance arch



Very nice wood pulpit
The Chancel with choir pews




The altar and chancel windows
The Altar
The flower son the altar with the cross.







One of the memorials on the wall with some of the keelers in the church to the right









The scripture open looking towards the chancel











The church organ and one of the information boards in the church







View up the nave from the chancel arch


John Pickering memorial






Some of the detail on the chancle arch
and one of the windows in the church












A
A lone floral display on the window



At the back by the entrance is a small exhibit of photos taken when the work was being done building the dam



What I like about the church is there is no electricity only oil lamps




A sad reminder of the age of people working on the dam




A dedication to   hangs on the wall. To the right one of the oil lamps in the church









The Chancel Window
Have a peaceful Sunday
http://inspiredsundaymeme.blogspot.co.uk/

9 comments:

  1. Great to see relics of the old drowned church preserved in the new one

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  2. Lovely! It's nice that you are able to get interior shots. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  3. great post for this terrific church

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  4. i always think oh, i love the outside & all the surroundings. & then you take me inside. so many views. great beauty. ( :

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  5. I love this church and the story of the drowned village. I wonder what you can see in a drought?

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  6. Fascinating, Bill. Notwithstanding the sadness in this tale, the new chapel does look quietly impressive.

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  7. Such beauty here. I wonder if the old cemetery was moved before the reservoir was created. Thanks for sharing it.

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  8. I LOVED all the photographs...so much to like in the church and love the path leading up to it. The inside is beautiful...and the countryside is, too.

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