THE star of Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down was seen in a new show at he and his wife sought permission to convert a dilapidated Grade II listed Gwynedd chapel.
Keith Brymer Jones, a master potter, and his wife Marjory Hogarth purchased Capel Salem in the centre of Pwllheli in 2022.
Their journey to turn it into a home, pottery studio, and community space, is documented in the new Channel 4 series Our Welsh Chapel Dream.
Episode one aired on Sunday (May 5) with the second episode available to stream.
Previously owned by the Presbyterian Church of Wales, Salem Chapel dates back to the 19th century, having been originally built in 1862 before being later enlarged.
The chapel had been on the market for about 12 years before it was snapped up by the couple for £200,000.
In 2023, Cyngor Gwynedd planners received two applications over work to develop the chapel site.
Great Pottery Throw Down master potter Keith Brymer Jones seeks permission to concert for Capel Salem in Pwllheli (Cyngor Gwynedd Planning Document Image Gwynedd Council
One application was for Listed Building Consent and concerns internal and external alterations to restore the building and convert it into a pottery studio and living unit.
The second concerned the full application for a change of use of the former chapel and hall to a pottery studio with living unit on the ground floor and the use of the main chapel as a multi-use space including for community events.
It is these applications that viewers saw Keith and Marjory await the outcome of in episodes 1 and 2 of the documentary.
The chapel is on the corner of Allt Salem Terrace and Lleiniau Uchaf (Church Place).
There are residential streets on either side, and it is near another Grade II listed building, St Peter’s church.
The planning documents revealed that some of the chapels original internal features were likely destroyed in a fire in 1913, but the building still boasts “a raked gallery on three sides of the nave” and a panelled wood frontage supported by a series of ornate cast iron columns.
Capel Salem Pwllheli where listed building consent is being sought (Gwynedd Council planning documents)
The plaster ceiling is also very ornate and divided into panels by ribs, with a vast central ceiling rose, and a continuous deep cornice below with an “elaborate frieze,” the planning documents say.
The documents add: “Mr Keith Brymer Jones has written to Gwynedd Council Economy and Community Services and Business Support, as well as spoken to some neighbouring residents on Salem Terrace about the proposals.”
Speaking previously, he said he and wife wanted to “restore the building to its original state and keep the outside pretty much as it is now, but improve it”.
He added: “We are both mindful of the aesthetic and history of Capel Salem and wouldn’t want to change it too much – there will be no PVC windows and doors, that’s for sure!”
In an Instagram post last year, Mr Brymer Jones told followers that the chapel was the first studio he had ever owned.
“Over time I shall have open studio days, possible workshops and events,” he said.
Viewers will find out the result of the planning application in future episodes.
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