Bethel Welsh Baptist Church

Bethel Baptist Chapel was the second of a series of Baptist churches erected in Llanelli in the mid nineteenth century. By 1840 the membership of Zion, established near the centre of Llanelli in 1831, had reached 400. A decision was taken to establish a new chapel in the expanding Seaside district.

This was a time when Llanelli became a significant regional producer of tinplate and steel and the population was growing strongly. The chapel has a large stuccoed temple-like facade with giant pilasters and a porch with columns and a balustrade. The windows had Florentine tracery. The pulpit was very ornate and had a pedimented back, and the gallery fronts were clad in cast iron panels. The chapel has a larger seating capacity compared to other Llanelli chapels, being able to seat 850 persons in 1905, and the Sunday School was also large, catering for 300 children. A house for the caretaker adjoins the chapel. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales curates…