House of Fraser, a British department store chain, has a history dating back to 1867, when it used to be called Howells. Its Cardiff location closed its doors back in March, but a recent renovation project has revealed a chapel hidden away in the department store not seen for five decades.
The house of worship is formally called Bethany Particular Baptist Chapel and it was originally built anywhere between 1821 to 1827. By 1840, it was expanded and was even enlarged in 1865. But the city around it grew too, squishing the church between commercial buildings until it was completely obscured. Now, people on the street can clearly see this remarkable piece of history once again.
A chapel gets swallowed by a department store
The chapel had all of the important trappings of a house of worship, from a back area dedicated to Sunday school, seats to accommodate some 950 people, and even burial grounds. Some of its finer architecture ended up incorporated into Howells, including arches, cast-iron pillars, and a balcony arcade.
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The church’s dissolution became so intense that its congregation completely relocated to Rhiwbina by 1965. Now, it has a future on the horizon again; House of Fraser was set to close back in 2018 as the owners announced plans to leave Wales. Those plans didn’t kick off right away but now, after 150 years of business, the store has closed its doors, and construction in the area is dedicated to honoring the old building that time forgot.
Renovations plan to honor the lost chapel overtaken by a department store
As Cardiff began to grow and expand, the Bethany Particular Baptist Chapel was eventually swallowed by the department story but you can still see some of the original building inside. pic.twitter.com/7eTf4SmWfV
— Will Hayward (@WillHayCardiff) June 20, 2022
Thackeray Group is in charge of redeveloping the building. It’s estimated to cost some $1.2 million (£100m). Not all of it will be dedicated to the church itself, though. Construction plans include a rooftop terrace, a dining area, and space for community or retail use once again.
However, a former worker from the area says she hopes that the final vision will be respectful of the chapel’s design and architecture. The chapel is quite large on a gable-entry plan, made with slate roofs, coursed multicolor rubble, and lighter stone detailing.
Can these two very different types of buildings coexist respectfully and harmoniously?
A glimpse at the Bethany Particular Baptist Chapel which was previously hidden within the Howells store in #Cardiff
Redevelopment work is now being done on the store following the closure of House of Fraser which was trading there. pic.twitter.com/dsxXiv8Mpa
— Russell Sandberg (@sandbergrlaw) July 5, 2023