Beili Heulog Congregational Chapel

 

I have now completed my visits to Churches in the Builth  Wells Area visiting all that churches the late Phil Jones had on his website. One of them is Gwenddwr Chapel which has had me thinking Phil had gotten the place wrong for a long time because the chapel in Gwenddwr is only a few meters up the road from the church. This blog will show both of the chapels. Beili Heulog Congregational Chapel is about 2km away from Gwenddwr in a valley beside a stream as it tells you in Phils description. It was drizzling on the day of my visit and a hike downhill from where I parked my car. For some history read the link on Gwenddwr & Crickadarn Chapels

This is the track leading down to the chapel

 It was only a few hundred metres but it was steep and the hike up had my heartbeat at over 150

The chapel from the track at the bottom

Path leading to the chapel door

From over the cemetery

Side view

The back of the chapel, you cannot access further than this

The cemetery looking towards the chapel

Most of the graves are old but there are a couple of more recent ones that are looked after

Going through the cemetery and the older graves

Tomb slab with foot stone

Collage of the chest tomb, the inscription is deteriorating 

Headstone with inscription just readable

Cemetery from the path

Inside the chapel

Looking towards the back and balcony, The platform had a warning on it that the floor was dangerous so this was taken from the side

Upstairs on the balcony

Looking down into the chapel tower the minister would stand on the platform

Couple of Pugh family memorials

William Williams memorial

Vase of flowers on the table with visitors book

Last view of the flowers in the chapel

This is the chapel in Gwenddwr

It sits on a small corner plot

The name and date plaque

 

Inside is lager than Beili Heulog

The platform where the minister and speaker stands

Couple of Dodd memorials and list of ministers

View of the chapel from the platform

Last view across the chapel to the platform. I felt honoured to have been able to visit and look around both chapels which I found somewhere that you could find peace fro a while

Till Next time I wish you all a wonderful weekend

 Today is Remembrance  Day so I feel we should take a few moment to remember those who fell in the Two World Wars and still are in other parts of the world today  

 

We Will Remember

St Giles Wendlebury

 

This week the Church Explorer Visits St Giles Wedlebury which is part of the Akeman Benefice being only a few miles from Chesterton  and even nearer to the busy A41road

"The earliest known record of the Church of England parish church of Saint Giles is from early in the 13th century. It was cruciform until 1639, when the south transept was found to be so unsafe that it was demolished.

In 1757 the remainder of the building was found unsafe and in March 1761 everything but the belltower was demolished. By September that year a new nave, chancel and two transepts had been completed, incorporating from the old church general building materials, early Decorated Gothic windows from about 1300 and a Perpendicular Gothic doorway.

The foundations continued to give trouble and in 1901–02 the medieval tower and 18th-century south transept were demolished. At the same time the architect John Oldrid Scott restored the remainder of the building, renewing the roof and installing new seating. The tower had three bells: two cast in the 16th century and the third in 1695. Since the demolition of the tower these have stood in the west end of the nave. The west gable of the nave now has a bell-cot with one bell.

St Giles' is now part of the Benefice of Akeman, along with the parishes of Bletchingdon, Chesterton, Hampton Gay, Kirtlington, Middleton Stoney and Weston-on-the-Green".

  I'm not sure what I thought on seeing the church, I thought it looked modern

East end

North east side

North west with sun flare

West window in a ghost arch

South westerly

Churchyard south of the church beside the path

Looking west down the north side of the church

Headstones are a mixture of new and old

Churchyard east of the church

New clock on the chancel end of the church

Porch leading in

Angel above the door

I love the fact the porch is used as a little library for the village to use

The nave looking down to the chancel

Chancel arch looking in the chancel

View across the chancel

The altar with decorative panel in front

The panel and last supper behind

 

Simple wooden altar cross with the last supper panel behind

Looking back though the chancel arch

Pulpit with steps leading to the door

The nave from the pulpit with the north transept

Selection of the memorials in the church

Parish Roll of Honour

One family lost a loved on in both wars

A few of the memorials which are legible to read

One side of the choir stalls and clerks desk

Organ in the north transept

View looking to the north transept

 

Chair in the chancel

One of the original bells from the church

Two more bells

The photo explains the bells

Plan of the old church

Architect drawing of the old church, I much prefer the look of the old church,, it's a shame it was not saved. In the present day I feel it would have been saved

The three 16th century bells at the back of the church

I will leave you with a photo of the old font which I would think came from the old church

Till next time I wish you all a wonderful weekend