The Building

In 1874 the brethren commissioned the building of the present hall on the site of the old Adamsdown farm, situated alongside the main railway line. The Cardiff Tide Table & Almanac – 1901 describes it as, "a meeting house built in the Gothic style and designed to seat 400, cost £800". The building took three years to complete and was officially opened on the 2nd November 1877.

The interior of the hall has been modernised over the years but the exterior is much the same as the day it was built. In 1934, Mr. Henry Tucker Snr. who was one of the early brethren and a builder by trade, carried out extensive renovations. The account for that work shows that the cost of labour to the customer was 1s 11d (old money), so what did the craftsmen receive? In 1937 gas central heating was installed at a cost of £80 0s 0d! to replace the coal fired system, and insurance cover on the building was increased that year to £2,400!

During the 1970's there was much uncertainty caused by various 'regeneration and new road schemes' for the area, but these were subsequently abandoned, and a programme of house modernization was carried out instead.

A group photograph - February 2000

Shortly after the commencement of the building of the hall, on 29th September 1875, a ninety-nine year lease was obtained for an annual rent of £9 12s 0d from the ground landlord, the Mountjoy Estate. In 1936 the landlords were offering freeholds for sale but there was at that time another thirty-eight years remaining on the lease so the brethren did not see any urgency in buying it. Furthermore, the Lord might return before it elapsed. However, unknown to the trustees of the building, Mr. Henry Tucker and Mr. Albert Probert jointly bought the freehold. Mr. Probert became the sole owner in 1957. In 1972 it was realized by the trustees, that only four years remained of the lease, and the British Petroleum Co. had purchased en bloc all properties that had not been bought by leaseholders earlier, and were now demanding greatly inflated prices for freeholds. One church in the area was not able to raise the £40,000 asking price and had to vacate the premises at the end of their lease. That building is now occupied by "Inkspot Graphical Supplies". There was, however, great relief when it was discovered that Mr. Albert Probert had with foresight purchased the freehold back in 1936, and he subsequently donated it to the assembly before his home call in 1972.

More recently in the 1990's the Hall had a new roof and windows, a new kitchen was installed, new cloakrooms and more comfortable chairs replaced the original wooden seating. In 2001 stonemasons were commissioned to restore and clean the stonework to the exterior of the Clyde Street elevation, which had become eroded by the weather, and also from acid rain caused by the steelworks close by.