Welsh Chapels in Crisis

According to Capel, the Chapels Heritage Society, Welsh chapels are closing at an alarming rate of one per week. This is a real crisis, not just for folks who enjoy rescuing old architecture, but for Wales as a nation. In many ways, Welsh chapels represent the heart and soul of Wales. They symbolise the history of Wales as it transformed from an agricultural nation in the seventeenth century into a leader of the Industrial Revolution. Anthony Jones, author of Welsh Chapels (1996) describes these often peculiar and not always pleasant-looking structures as ‘the national architecture of Wales,’ yet for too long their influence has been overlooked. Often, they have been criticised as a blight on the landscape.