Latest news with #Hopkinstown
Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Chapel where Bread of Heaven hymn was written saved from property developers
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'.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- 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.
Telegraph
20-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Historic chapel where ‘Bread of Heaven' hymn written under threat from property developers
A Welsh village is battling to buy an historic chapel where the classic hymn Bread of Heaven was written. The Grade II-listed Capel Rhondda is on the market for £47,500, including the graveyard. The chapel in Hopkinstown, South Wales, was built in 1885 for worshippers in the mining valleys. But now the village wants to buy it to turn it into a community hub – and stop it being bought by property developers. 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. Fund-raiser Rhian Hopkins said: 'It would be a real shame if the incredible building which was funded and built by our ancestors was lost to a property developer who may not respect the building's history'. She added: 'It was built by the community, for the community so I would like to see it remaining as part of the community. 'My worry is that although it's a Grade II-listed building, and will obviously be protected in some way, it's on the market for what is a relatively low price for a property these days. I'm concerned that it could be bought by a wealthy property developer from outside the area and has no connection to the building. 'It's at that sort of price where someone might just buy it speculatively and leave it to sit empty. There are repairs that are needed already, so things would only get worse.' She decided to set up a crowd funder in an attempt to raise the asking price for the chapel and to ensure it would remain in the community's hands. Architectural interest 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'. 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. 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.'
