Salem Chapel

I only went out for a pint of milk....

On the way up to Spar, I met Geoff, sitting on the bench outside the HSBC, watching the clouds in the evening light. He's responsible for the art exhibitions in the old school room of Salem Chapel, and because of this, the history of the chapel fascinates him. It is one of the oldest Dissenting Chapels in the country, and according to the research he's done so far, it all started with the Vicar of Clifford sending his son to an Oxford college. The son, John, didn't like it and ran away to London, where he fell in with radicals and dissenters. He wrote pamphlets for them, and came to the attention of Charles I's secret police. Afraid he was about to be arrested, he disguised himself as a woman and fled to Swansea, where he started the first ever Baptist Chapel. Later, he came back to his childhood home and started the chapel in Hay, with the school - so the Baptist congregation were all able to read and write, unusually for those days.
When Oliver Cromwell went over to Ireland and laid it waste, he came back via Swansea, where John met him, and persuaded him not to do the same to Wales, which was full of Royalist sympathisers.
At the Restoration of Charles II, he took his congregation to Massachusetts, where they built the town of Swansea, with its own Salem Chapel. Later, he sent his son back to Wales, to find his original congregations still thriving.
As a child (moving on through the centuries) Richard Burton attended the Swansea chapel, gaining early voice training by reading the lessons.
From there, via the filming of Cleopatra, the conversation moved on to Dylan Thomas, and memories of drinking after hours at the pubs in Laugharne

I finally got my milk, and then I ran into Paul from Bull Ring Antiques and Goosey Ganders, who gave me the sad news that his little dog Blueberry has died, at the age of 16. Blueberry was quite a fixture in the shop, with his own little cushion to sit on as he greeted the customers.

I passed up the chance of a quiet pint with Sara, who was sitting outside the Rose and Crown with Eddie the dog, as I'd had quite enough beer at the Beer Festival that afternoon, but I did stop for a chat.

I got home over an hour after I'd gone out.

Isn't Hay wonderful?