Chapel where Bread of Heaven hymn was written saved from property developers

Telegraph

4 days ago

A Welsh chapel where Bread of Heaven was written has been saved from the threat of property developers after a crowdfunding effort.
Campaigners are now looking to buy the Grade II-listed Capel Rhondda after raising the £47,500 for which it was put on the market.
Villagers in Hopkinstown, South Wales, had feared it would be taken over by developers who could have turned it into flats.
However, the future of the chapel, which was built in 1885 for worshippers in the mining valleys, now looks to remain in the hands of locals and become a community hub.
Rhian Hopkins, who led the fundraising project, told the BBC: 'It's amazing. I keep thinking, 'Am I just having a vivid dream which I'll wake up from?'
'I saw that the chapel was for sale and immediately I just felt devastated.
'I thought, 'Oh my goodness imagine if it's turned into flats or somebody turns it into a home', and I just wanted the community to be able to enjoy it for the foreseeable future.
'This is a really important part of not just local heritage but Welsh heritage and potentially worldwide heritage from the response we've had.'
Composer John Hughes wrote the well-known hymn Cwm Rhondda for an anniversary service at the chapel in 1907.
Better known as Bread of Heaven, it is often sung at Welsh rugby matches, pubs and funeral services.
The campaign, which was launched less than two weeks ago, has now surpassed the £60,000 mark which will help cover legal costs and restoration works.
It received much public support on social media and was shared by Welsh actor Michael Sheen.
Ms Hopkins added: 'A lot of money will also need to be spent on the chapel. There was a quote of £50,000 just to restore the vestry floor.
'There's also knotweed in the graveyard, it's going to take a lot of money and work.'
The Baptist Union of Wales had put the chapel up for sale after a final service in December 2024.
The group said waning attendance figures had meant areas of the building had started to deteriorate.
They are set to have a meeting on Friday about the building becoming community owned.
The chapel was Grade II-listed in 2001 for its 'architectural interest as a late 19th-century chapel in a prominent location retaining its original character'.