Going, going...

20 years ago this dilapidated structure was Unity Hall, the local Labour Party's HQ.
Then it was taken over by a youth club for a few more years. Since then it's lain empty awaiting a buyer. New buildings jostle for the space on either side.

Today as I approached it I heard the noise of breaking glass and, looking through the window, saw 3 small boys having a smashing time inside. Should they be there? I inquired. Yes my Dad works here, said one. (No sign of a Dad.) Well I don't think so I said and they all decided it was time to scarper.

It's a shame the place has been left to rack and ruin because it's actually a tin tabernacle, one of those prefabricated buildings that were flung up to house burgeoning congregations in Victorian and early 20thC. times, and to accommodate missionary flocks overseas. Most served as pop-up chapels but some were meeting halls or reading rooms. They came in different sizes and I always imagine the enthusiasm with which people must have erected these flatpack structures, never dreaming they would last for generations. This one's state of neglect suggests its days are numbered and a few more young vandals will seal its fate.

 I blipped a similar tin tabernacle in another part of Wales here which has been renovated and given new life as a venue for talks and meetings.