MOMA Wales art gallery

link_to_french_translationbutton_lang_welshMOMA Wales art gallery, Heol Penrallt, Machynlleth

machynlleth_capel_tabernaclThe museum of modern art in Machynlleth is housed in a complex which includes a former chapel and grocer’s shop. The Tabernacle Chapel was built for Methodist worship in 1806, extended in 1843 and rebuilt in 1880 with a Classical portico. The photo on the right, courtesy of Peter G Dobson, shows the frontage before the chapel's conversion in the 1990s.

In the auditorium is a Roll of Honour listing the chapel members who served in the armed forces in the First World War (pictured below left, courtesy of Robert Price Photography). Markings denote the seven who died: Thomas Owen Davies, Edward Burton Humphreys, Rowland Jones, William Lloyd, John Ellis Roberts, Alfred Robinson and David Rowland Williams – see our Machynlleth war memorial page for details.

Nearby is a memorial listing 10 members of the area’s Methodist circuit who died in the war, including men from Corris, Pennal and Commins Coch. A “memorial cot” was donated to the National Children’s Home and Orphanage in their memory.

In 1986 the chapel becammachynlleth_tabernacl_roll_of_honoure a centre for the performing arts, operated by the Machynlleth Tabernacle Trust. The trust acquired the adjoining former shop, Harvey House, and renamed it the Ellis Building after Tom Ellis (1859-1899). He was MP for Meirioneth and argued that chapels should be centres of culture, rather than limited to Sunday worship. The Ellis Building was converted into an art gallery, which staged its first show in May 1992.

In 1994 a new building, designed by David Thomas, was opened which linked the facilities at the site. It was built with the aid of funding from the Foundation for Sport and The Arts, the Welsh Office’s Rural Initiative and the European Regional Development Fund, and incorporated new facilities such as a recording studio. It was named the Owen Owen Building. Further improvements have since been made to the arts complex.

MOMA Wales displays contemporary art from Wales. Some of the exhibits are from the Tabernacle Trust’s own collection. The 350-seat auditorium in the former chapel is used for events and performances and is the focus of the annual Machynlleth Festival. MOMA Wales is supported by the Friends of the Tabernacle.

Postcode: SY20 8AJ    View Location Map

Website of MOMA Wales

Website of Robert Price Photography

To continue the Machynlleth in WW1 tour, walk southwards along the main road to the shops on the left after the chapel railings
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