Chapel project gets first slice of £1.2m grant

A community project run by the Archdiocese of Cardiff at a former Congregational chapel in the city has received an £80,000 development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, writes James Macintyre.

The grant is the first stage of a potential award of £1,206,000 for the Cornerstone at St David’s project, which will turn the formerly Protestant Ebenezer Chapel into a heritage centre. The funds have been given to the archdiocese to transform the chapel, which was built in 1855 and previously attended by Welsh-speaking Presbyterians.
The Grade II-listed chapel, opposite Cardiff Cathedral, was bought by the Church for £600,000 in May 2012.  The building provides extra meeting rooms for the cathedral as well as outreach projects. It has already turned a former schoolroom into a weekend clinic for those who have consumed excessive alcohol.

The project will ensure that the chapel preserves its Welsh heritage by working with local community groups and running a bilingual oral history project.