Zion Baptist Church - Llanelli, Wales - Baptist Churches on Waymarking.com

Llanelli has a rich religious history - something that is reflected by the sheer number of chapels that can be seen around the town centre alone.

Prior to 1766, the Baptists of Llanelli worshiped in a chapel in nearby Felin-Foeil. Between 1766 and 1822 a house that stood where the Town Hall stands today was used as a place of worship but as numbers grew, an offshoot of the main congregation built the first chapel at this location and was completed in 1822.

Numbers grew and in 1857, the current Zion chapel was built to seat 1000 worshipers on the same site as the old chapel, with the original vestry and houses remaining.

Then, in 1912-13, the old vestry and housing were demolished and the current building was erected.

Two famous pillars of the faith in the Baptist movement have pastored here - John Rhys Morgan and Jubilee Young.

The chapel is a Grade II listed building but is in the middle of an area of extensive redevelopment, where all the buildings that surround it are being demolished - Stepney Hotel, immediately next door to the chapel, one of Llanelli's earliest buildings (nearly 250 years old) is being razed to the ground as I type this, and many now fear that Zion may be next.

Date Built: 01/01/1857 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque Church Address: Zion Chapel Park Street Llanelli, Carmarthenshire South Wales SA15 3Y Service Times: Not listed Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/03/2012 veritas vita visited it