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A chapel dating back more than 160 years has been sold at auction for almost seven times its asking price.

Calvinist Methodist Bethel Chapel, in New Tredegar, had been listed with a guide price of just £7,000, but went under the hammer for £47,000 when it was sold by Paul Fosh Auctions this month.

Founded in 1860, the chapel comes complete with pulpits, pews and intricate gallery balustrades, which all seemingly caught the eye of bidders.

Located on Ruppera Street, the chapel closed due to falling congregation numbers in September 2024 and was sold at auction by the Presbyterian Church of Wales earlier this year for an undisclosed sum.   

However, the buyer back in September opted to relist the building, selling it via Paul Fosh Auctions.   

Sean Roper, of Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “The former church, which is crammed with a host of original features, certainly grabbed the attention of potential buyers with a total of nine competing to win the property.

“The church, which looks very much as it must have done when the last member of the congregation and the minister left the fabulous building for the last time, attracted a total of 39 bids before it sold.”

Mr Roper also said the location and surroundings of the chapel proved to be a real selling point for his auctioneers.

“The historic church is situated in the heart of the village of New Tredegar which exudes decades of history. The commanding property has an awesome backdrop of rolling hills and is close to local shops and amenities,” he said.

The sale comes as a major lottery-funded project aims to document the future of Wales’ chapels and nonconformist heritage.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) has secured funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for its “Capeli Cymru: Preserving the Nonconformist Heritage of Wales” project, which will create the first nationwide survey of Welsh chapels in more than a century.

As well as recording chapels still used for worship, the project will examine buildings that have been converted, repurposed or left vacant.

The project follows growing concerns over the decline in chapel attendance across Wales. A recent report by think tank the Bevan Foundation estimated that around a quarter of places of worship in Wales have closed over the past decade. The report warned that once buildings lose their original purpose, they can quickly fall into disrepair and become symbols of decline within communities.