Capel Salem, Pwllheli



Capel Salem is a Grade II listed former chapel in Pwllheli, Gwynedd, Wales. It was originally built in 1862 for the Calvinistic Methodists, to the designs of the architect Thomas Thomas of Landore. In 1893 it was remodelled and enlarged. A fire was started in 1913 by a local person who tried to steal money from the chapel; when he found none, he set fire to the building. It was then closed until 1915 after restoration.

In September 2022, the chapel and its adjoining Sunday school annex, which had been on the market for 12 years, were purchased by the potter Keith Brymer Jones and his wife, Marjory Hogarth. Jones stated that they planned to convert the property into a studio and living quarters and eventually to open it up to the local community. A four-part show depicting the initial phase of the renovation, titled "Our Welsh Chapel Dream," is available for streaming on the British television station Channel 4. The limited series reveals the challenges faced by Keith and Marjory, including dry rot, fungus growth, decades of pigeon excrement, and the absence of water and electricity, as well as the reactions of the local citizens of Pwllheli to the repurposing of the building complex.