A church building which was regarded as one of the finest of its kind in Wales has been sold for £200,000 at an auction.

The imposing Grade II*-listed Zion Baptist Chapel in Newtown had been put up for sale after maintaining the building became "quite a burden on a dwindling membership" who held its final service there on October 27.

The Baptist Union of Wales Corporation, which was a trustee of the building, said the "only way forward" was to sell the church at auction, which was handled by Halls estate agents on Friday, November 29.

The new owner has yet to be revealed as is their proposed use for the building which had a guide price of between £100,000 and £120,000. Newtown-based Hughes Architects said that there had been a "consortium of local bidders" interested in purchasing the former church.

The impressive galleried congregation hall.The impressive galleried congregation hall. (Image: Halls)

"We sincerely hope they care for the chapel with the same dedication we have seen from the community and that they have the best interests of the local area at heart," the local architect firm added.

The large and iconic building, with its stone Corinthian Pedimento portico and pillars to the front, is a Newtown landmark for many travelling through the town along New Road.

Designed to accommodate for than 1,300 people, the church also held many town events and music concerts including the annual Remembrance Sunday service.

Speaking before the church was sold, James Evans, a director of Halls, said: “The auction provides a unique opportunity to acquire what is more like a cathedral than a chapel and offers a wide variety of potential uses, subject to planning consent, to hopefully secure both the future and the integrity of this wonderful building.”

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The church joins the growing list of places of worship in the town that have closed during the past two decades.

St David's Church and Bethel Chapel closed in 2006 before the latter was demolished in 2021. The Newtown United Reformed Church and School House, which closed in 2016, could be converted into homes if planning permission is granted.

The former Welsh Congregational Chapel in Milford Road was recently vacated by Newtown nursery Little World and will soon be put up for sale.