A TREMADOG chapel is set to be restored thanks to a £100,000 grant from the Welsh Government.

Peniel Chapel, which has been described as one of the most striking chapels in Wales, with its innovative gable front and auditorium plan, was completed in 1810 and then expanded in 1849.

It is one of five Grade I-listed non-conformist chapels in Wales and is different in architecture from any chapel of the 19th century, as the others were of the traditional Gothic style.

It is considered an important contribution to the town of Tremadog.

Due to its dwindling congregation the chapel was forced to close, but Addolodai Cymru were gifted the chapel in 2010 – 200 years to the day from when the chapel opened.

Now the organisation has received grant funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Addoldai Cymru development officer Christine Moore, said: “We are currently looking for money to restore the chapel.

“We have had this grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and what we are trying to do is set up a local Friends group so that we can start using the chapel for meetings and to take people around.

“We are making a call for people to support this initiative.”

William Alexander Madocks was the founder of the planned settlement of Tremadog in the early 19th century and Peniel Chapel was one of the first buildings to be constructed for the settlement.

The clergyman, Thomas Charles of Bala, presided over the opening ceremony, with William Madocks and other prominent people in attendance on the opening day.

An interior gallery was built in 1840 and the exterior portico was completed in 1849.

The property was further expanded through the late 19th century, with a dwelling house added in 1850, a schoolroom in 1880, and a new front stage area in 1898. The ceiling was also replaced in 1910.

Anyone who is interested in helping Addoldai Cymru set up a Friends group at Capel Peniel should contact Christine Moore on [email protected] or 07528 491819.