Welcome to Bethany English Presbyterian Church, Tywyn, Gwynedd
The "birth" of this church was in an upper room over "Porthgwyn," the people's market shop, opposite our building. Towyn-on-Sea, as it was called in those days,was in an area where the Welsh language was spoken by the majority of the local people, and soon after the Cambrian Railway was constructed, English and border people began to arrive.....around the 1850's. Well-to-do English people had summer homes with English servants. Professional men, such as lawyers, doctors and teachers were building large residences, which meant there was a need for non-conformists to worship together, and this led to a group meeting each Sunday in the "upper room." After several years and larger attendances, it was decided to build a church in which to worship, and so.......where better than in College Green? This was already a sacred area, as St. Cadfan had established a Religious College attached to his (now Anglican) church, and also near the Holy Wells.......the building at the rear of the Market Hall, down our alley-way. Bethany, a pretty stone building with a small spire also large vestry, originally used as our school room.We have no record of the cost, but Bethany was opened and dedicated in 1871. Unlike most churches of that period, all seats were free.......in other words, there was no charge for pews and people could sit where they wished......a sign to this effect was displayed in the entrance porch.Church numbers increased and were further swollen during the summer months by large families.They arrived in Tywyn, by steam train, complete with servants, trunks and pets often occupying whole houses for the duration of the Summer. Many of these were English people who had no wish to worship at the alternative bi-lingual Anglican services.The lovely organ was donated in 1910. In those days it was hand-pumped by men from the congregation.......very hard work! Now the bellows work electronically.The woodwork, comprising all the seating, pulpit, doors, panelling and ornamentation were produced by local craftsmen in their own workshops.There is a plaque in memory of one of the long-standing elders Edward Thomas, at the front of the church. He worked hard over the second world war years to maintain the church during that very difficult period of austerity.The church now has a modern sound system and an alternative digital music provider when an organist is unavailable.May the Lord richly bless all who seek His Holy Name
