STEALTH REQUIRED: Difficulty rating reflects a harder cache in Muggle rich territory.
I recently saw a cache in my area that said it was placed "as there are no caches nearby", so I've decided to help my fellow Geocacher by adding some. This is the third of a series of eight caches (and a bonus - note the number on the log) that I will place to highlight some hidden gems in Sketty. With that...
New Bethel Chapel Sketty
The cache is not in the Chapel grounds or graveyard & is accessed from the public street. The chapel has never denied access to the public. However, there is very little maintenance of this historic site, which is increasingly in disrepair. I have spoken to a former warden & the posted warnings of some unsafe graves are not for show. Most graves are safe, but do take care if you enter the grounds at your own risk.
There are lots of listed buildings in Sketty, but almost all cluster around the former estate that formed Singleton Park and the nearby Sketty Cross. New Bethel Chapel is just uphill from Sketty Cross & is easy to miss as you travel the major roads, so take a moment to visit this hidden gem. There has been a chapel here since 1777 to serve the Welsh speaking residents of Sketty and it was a wonderful chapel when in full song. The present building dates from 1842, with several modifications since. Sadly the congregation has dwindled and they merged with another local church, leaving a huge hole in the Welsh history of Sketty & the site for sale.
The adjacent graveyard grew by increments as the congregation supported the local population, of all denominations, to find a grave locally. There are 11,000 (!) people buried here - the graveyard is also accessible from nearby Prospect Place & is still visited by relatives & walkers (in spite of the safety issues). Like so many graveyards, it includes the graves of men who died in the World Wars - the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists 20 men buried here. One of the graves is unusual (for Swansea), as two men are buried in the same military grave - it is not known what the connection between the two was, but the only other case in Swansea is a father and a son. It is also the final resting place of Private James Owen, who fought at Rorke's Drift & Griffith John, a famous missionary in China.
Parking is possible on the junction of Tycoch Road / Carnglas Road, where there is a good cafe & restautant/bar, but these parking spots are often busy during the day. There are several residential streets a few minutes walk away where the parking will be easier.
Congratulations to StantheMan! for the FTF in just under three hours.