A special ceremony has taken place at Bethel Welsh Baptist Church in Aberystwyth.

On Tuesday 27 May a service was held to commemorate an event that took place almost 137 years ago - the laying of the foundation stones of the church.

Stuart Gray and his daughters, India and Daisy, had travelled from Newton Abbot, Devon with two very special gifts, an inscribed silver trowel and a wooden mallet used by his great great grandmother Griffith Rowlands to lay one of the stones on 28 June 1888.

At the time Mrs Rowlands and her husband lived at Sherbourne Hall (now Hengwrt),Llangawsai but also had a London residence where Mr Rowlands ran a successful milk business.

Both were generous contributors to Bethel's building fund.

Following a welcome by deacon Dr John Williams the Reverend Peter Thomas gave an address based on the building of the Temple in Jerusalem by King Solomon and then offered a prayer after which Dr Williams and the Rev Thomas described how and why the building had come into being and recalled the ceremony in which Mr and Mrs Rowlands, together with Mrs Henry Thomas of Glan Llan Hall, Llanilar a sister of Mr Rowlands and Mr Benjamin Lewis, Cardiff played leading roles.

Mr Gray then presented the trowel and mallet, both in 'as new' condition to Dr Williams who received them with grateful thanks on behalf of the Church.

For many years they had been in the possession of Mr Gray's mother, Audrey Gray who expressed in writing that they be gifted to Bethel and who joined the service by video link.