Hermon ChapelOriginally painted white, Hermon Chapel, erected in 1807, was an important landmark for the many ships that used to sail on North Gower's Burry Estuary.
At the time, Crofty was notorious for its lack of religious devotion and the Hermon Chapel was built on a patch of land used by youngsters who used to play here on the Sabbath. The land on which the chapel stands was once part of Pencaerenni Farm and was bought by Joseph 'Gomer' Harris to further the Baptist Movement in Gower.
Unfortunately, the chapel, which was also used briefly as a day school, has now fallen into total disrepair. It is still worth a visit, however, for the atmosphere of the more ancient and segregated part of the cemetery, its isolated setting and its amazing vantage point over the whole of the Burry Estuary.
The Segregated Older Section of Hermon's Cemetary
The Remaining Shell of Hermon Chapel
I grew up in the house at the bottom of the lane from Hermon Chapel and never knew a time when the Chapel was in active use. In the late 1970's my friend and I used to sneak in here through a broken window (all the other windows were stil intact then) and although the chapel had been abandoned, it could easily have been put back into service.
The Interior of Hermon ChapelThe window on the left of the above window was the only smashed window in the building in the 1970's and was my entry point into my "chapel den" as a youth. Directly beneath the two far windows was a stage and pulpit, on which stood an immense bible. Dark wooden pews, divided by a central avenue, fed in rows to the rear of the building and the entrance to the chapel was separated from veiw by a tiny boxed off room.
I found a lovely memory of Hermon Chapel, when it was a functional building, in the booklet 'Memories of Penclawdd, Crofty & Llanmorlais', which was published by the North Gower Heritage Group in 2000:
"...Those were the days when the Sabbath was held in reverance and was looked forward to eagerly as a day set apart for worship. The nearest Chapel was 'Hermon' and I remember the pride we took in putting on our best 'coat and bedgowns' to attend the services. The congregation was made up of people from different parts of the locality, some coming from many miles away - even as far as Loughor. These rode on horseback across the sands. It was a usual sight to see the older women knitting during the service..."
-Reminiscences by Dora Davies
It is a real shame that photography was not as popular back in the 1970's as it is today as I would dearly love to see an interior photograph of the chapel before it fell into such a sorry state.
I found a lovely memory of Hermon Chapel, when it was a functional building, in the booklet 'Memories of Penclawdd, Crofty & Llanmorlais', which was published by the North Gower Heritage Group in 2000:
"...Those were the days when the Sabbath was held in reverance and was looked forward to eagerly as a day set apart for worship. The nearest Chapel was 'Hermon' and I remember the pride we took in putting on our best 'coat and bedgowns' to attend the services. The congregation was made up of people from different parts of the locality, some coming from many miles away - even as far as Loughor. These rode on horseback across the sands. It was a usual sight to see the older women knitting during the service..."
-Reminiscences by Dora Davies
It is a real shame that photography was not as popular back in the 1970's as it is today as I would dearly love to see an interior photograph of the chapel before it fell into such a sorry state.
