St. John's Chapel at Hay
Medieval towns often had trade guilds and the most powerful of these would have had their own chapels. In the centre of Hay St. John's is just such a chapel.
It was probably founded in 1254. Long known as Eglwys Ifan, it served as Hay guild church in the middle ages. It was then used as the town prison for a while.
It was restored in 1930 when the East end of the building was re-converted into a chapel with a 17th century oak reredos behind the altar. The rest of the building is now used as a small church hall.
These two old photographs show St. John's Hall when it was used both as a butcher's shop and a hairdresser. They date from about 1900.
