Latest news with #CwmRhondda
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bid to save Cwm Rhondda chapel raises enough money to buy it
A campaign to save the chapel where the hymn Cwm Rhondda was first sung has raised enough money to buy the known and Bread of Heaven, the hymn was first sung at Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, just before Christmas final service, amid declining numbers at services, was in December 2024 and the Grade II listed chapel was put up for sale by the Welsh Baptist Union with a price tag of £47, - fearing it could be bought by a property developer - wanted to save it as a community space and campaigner Rhian Hopkins, who grew up in the village, said: "It's amazing." Ms Hopkins started the campaign less than two weeks ago and it has raised about £55,000 after the original target of the asking price was raised to £60,000 to cover legal and other costs."I keep thinking 'am I just having a vivid dream which I'll wake up from'," she said."This isn't just any chapel, this is the home of Cwm Rhondda, the home of Bread of Heaven. "This is a really important part of not just local heritage but Welsh heritage and potentially worldwide heritage from the response we've had." Ms Hopkins put a post on Facebook while her my sons were on holiday in France with their dad and said her campaign "snowballed"."It's been so exciting and I have worked ridiculously hard, doing 12-plus hour days on the campaign," she said."Michael Sheen retweeted the post this week but the biggest difference to the campaign was after BBC Radio 4 Today programme featured the story."I watched the crowdfunding page and it was like someone winning the jackpot on a fruit machine and the coins keep on coming out because the figures just kept on going up." With the money now raised to buy the chapel, Ms Hopkins hopes it can one day become a museum with a visitor centre. "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." Singer and broadcaster Beverley Humphreys, who is from nearby Pontypridd, said: "This hymn, Cwm Rhondda is in our DNA as Welsh people... it's been in my heart ever since I can remember."There is so much history embedded in this wonderful hymn and it's not just about preserving something special from our past but what Rhian and the team will do is preserve something beautiful for the present and for the future."
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Welsh community races to save chapel where Cwm Rhondda hymn first sung
A Welsh valleys community has launched a campaign to save the chapel where the popular hymn Cwm Rhondda, or Bread of Heaven, was first sung. The composer John Hughes wrote the hymn in 1907 to celebrate a new organ at Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, near Pontypridd. The Grade II-listed building closed its doors in December after years of shrinking congregations and was put up for sale by the Baptist Union of Wales for £47,000 two months ago. When Rhian Hopkins, who grew up in Hopkinstown, drove past the chapel and noticed the for sale sign, she said she was 'devastated'. 'I wasn't able to stop thinking about how this piece of history could be lost or turned into flats by a property developer who could pick it up for next to nothing,' she said. 'I arranged a viewing and took an architect friend who said the building was fine.' Hopkins and other campaigners set up a last-minute crowdfunding drive on 17 July, the day before the deadline for potential buyer bids. The union has since extended the deadline to 28 July to give the fundraiser the chance to meet its target. As of Wednesday, 65% of the total – £31,000 – had been pledged. Hopkins said: 'At a time when the world can feel rather bleak, this community effort seems to be resonating with people and reminding us that although we might no longer feel the need to attend a religious service every Sunday, we do need spaces and occasions where we can come together as a community.' Hopkinstown residents hope that Capel Rhondda can be maintained as a community space, with a potential focus on choirs and Welsh-language groups. 'We have lots of ideas about how the building can be used going forward but really want to engage with those living in the village to find out what they want and need,' the fundraising page says. More challenges lie ahead, Hopkins acknowledged. 'The first step is to secure the building. Then we probably need to set up a charity of some sort… There are all sorts of maintenance and repair costs, heating and maintenance, things like that to think about,' she said. About a quarter of Wales's places of worship have closed over the last decade as congregations have declined, according to research by the Bevan Foundation, the leading Welsh public policy charity and thinktank. Chapels across Wales have been redeveloped into private homes or second homes and holiday lets.
Wales Online
22-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Valleys chapel where Wales' most famous song was written for sale for less than £50k
Valleys chapel where Wales' most famous song was written for sale for less than £50k It's got an incredible and unique history but is now looking for a new owner Historic Grade II listed chapel on the market (Image: Glanmor Chartered Surveyors, Swansea ) A Grade II listed chapel and vestry building steeped in Welsh history has gone on the market for £47,500 including the graveyard and the remarkable interior. Capel Rhondda is located in Hopkinstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf and has welcomed the congregation since the present building was constructed in 1885 on the site of the first Rhondda Baptist Chapel said to have been built in 1852. The adjoining Sunday school building was erected in 1905. The chapel was Grade II listed by Cadw in 2001 for its 'architectural interest as a late 19th century chapel in a prominent location retaining its original character' and, according to the listing, it is where composer John Hughes, of Llantwit Fardre, wrote the well-known hymn 'Cwm Rhondda' for an anniversary service at the chapel in 1907. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here. READ MORE: This is what £20k potentially gets you at a property auction YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Inside the valleys semi-detached house that's probably going to surprise you The sale comes with all the internal fixtures and fittings (Image: Glanmor Chartered Surveyors, Swansea ) Article continues below From the outside the classical-style chapel boasts an imposing and handsome stone snecked façade, rock-faced stone, lighter freestone dressings, and slate roof. Inside, the chapel has so much of its original character and features remaining, all of which will be included in the sale, say the vendors. The Cadw listing details many of these features including the coloured-glass panel opposite the main door and half-lit doors to the main chapel in the vestry, the fluted cast iron columns with foliage capitals and a boarded gallery front, plus the boarded panel ceiling that has a central ornate ceiling rose. The organ was built by renowned firm of organ builders Blackett & Howden and is very impressive (Image: Glanmor Chartered Surveyors, Swansea ) The pews are still in place too but arguably it's the organ that is the most breathtaking item inside this historical chapel and surely where the first public performance of Cwm Rhondda occurred. The organ was made by the renowned firm of organ builders Blackett & Howden, according to Cadw. In more detail, the accommodation comprises an entrance lobby which leads into the main congregation area. The two staircases which provide access to the upper balcony can be accessed from their own entrance doors or via the congregation room. The adjoining vestry can be accessed via its own entrance or through an internal interconnecting door. Internally, the vestry floor is in a state of disrepair and part of the building is inaccessible due to this. Vestry and graveyard included in the sale (Image: Glanmor Chartered Surveyors, Swansea ) The accommodation within the vestry building comprises a main congregational space, with toilet and kitchen facilities, found within a single-storey extension at the rear. It is understood that there is mains electricity, water, gas and sewage to the property, however these services have not been tested. The sale of the site includes the graveyard that wraps around the building to the left and rear and to the right the vestry is attached to residential buildings that line the road. The new owner of the chapel will be required to allow access to the graveyard for the public to visit graves and to also maintain the area. Inside the vestry including the floor that needs attention (Image: Glanmor Chartered Surveyors, Swansea ) A spokesman for The Baptist Union of Wales said: "The union is sad to have had to close the chapel and we are thankful for all that has been done there over the years. "Until recently it was a very active church but unfortunately attendance numbers have declined and the buildings have started to deteriorate. It's a decision not taken lightly, but the vestry in particular is in a very poor state of repair and can't be used. "At the end of last year we looked at different options for uses for the building but could not find anything suitable - there was no other available option than to put it on the market. It's such a shame but the building needs some investment and we hope we will find an appropriate buyer and a new lease of life to this historic building that has served the community so well." Any potential future plans for the chapel and/or the vestry will, of course, need to secure planning permission and listed building consent. The property is available freehold with vacant possession and is for sale via private treaty with Glanmor Chartered Surveyors, Swansea, who have been instructed to seek offers in the region of £47,500, for more details call 01792 439105. Article continues below For more property stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here Find your own chapel or property for sale anywhere in Wales:
