Rug Chapel

Looks plain on the outside with a surprising interior. Very enjoyable talk as well.

A hidden gem but not to be bypassed. The decoration within it is Jacobean and covers everything from walls, roof bosses to the ceiling. It remains untouched and beautiful.

A lovely chapel with a very special atmosphere. A little gem.

Lovely interior with painted panels and colourful roof. Carved panels on edges of pews. Nice setting. Charge for entry car park. Easy to find.

Went here following signs, got to the gate to realise it was closed, a man came behind us in his car to shout aggressively 'I live here! get out of my way!' such a rude individual, if he is the custodian of this beautiful chapel then he should be kicked out. rude , rude, rude.

Go back in time - you will with a visit .... Original hand crafted work unique to the Rug Chapel, woodcarving ,tiling and decor. Welsh language as mainly spoken at the era of the build is visible . Check for opening times !

Rug Chapel, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is a highly decorated, 17th century private chapel that escaped both the white-washing iconoclasm of the Protestant reformation and the over-zealous restoration of the Victorian era.The chapel was built in 1637 by Colonel William Salesbury, a Royalist and privateer, with the help of Bishop William Morgan, known for his translation of the Bible into Welsh. Whilst the exterior of the single-cell structure is plain and unassuming, the interior of the chapel is rich and elaborate with decoration and ornamentation on nearly every available surface. A large gallery is built into the west end.All but the screen and stained glass are originals from the 17th century. The chancel screen is an interesting later addition, put up in 1854 but built in the Jacobean style to look like it’s been there all along.There are three types of pew in Rug Chapel. There are large, ornate canopied pews in the sanctuary itself and box pews can be found in front of the screen. The most interesting are the bench like pews that fill the rest of the nave. On each side of the nave the ends of these pews are all a single piece of oak, scalloped between the benches and carved with mythical creatures.The north wall of the chapel nave is adorned with a large memento mori wall painting, complete with anatomically questionable skeleton. The painting, designed to remind the congregation of life’s impermanence, was a very popular motif in the 17th century.

A truly stunning place if worship, which is pretty much unique in design and interior.

This is the most beautiful Chapel I've visited. The ceiling is magnificent and atmosphere uplifting.

Atmospheric chapel with historic and beautiful paintings indoors