Howells: Hidden chapel seen 66 years after wedding

Marian Quinney, 86, married John Smith in Cardiff's Bethany Chapel in 1957

A woman who married in a chapel which was hidden in a department store for decades has visited the site, 66 years after her wedding day.

Marian Quinney, 86, married John Smith in Cardiff's Bethany Chapel in 1957, before it closed its doors and the congregation moved elsewhere.

The church was built in 1807 on St Mary Street but was rebuilt a number of times.

It was engulfed by Howells within four years of the store opening in 1867.

Ms Quinney, who grew up in Ely and lives in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, believes her marriage at 19 was the last to take place in the chapel before it moved to premises in Rhiwbina in 1965.

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She said she was "very moved" to see it again.

"[My] husband died quite young, so coming back is quite a lump-in-the-throat moment," she said.

Ms Quinney remembered it being a "lovely day".

Ms Quinney, now 86, believes she was the last woman wed in the chapel

"I knew everyone in there, and members that hadn't even been invited but had come to the church to sort of support and they were so friendly," she said.

"When we came out we saw all these faces in the windows up here and they were all waving, I don't know any of them, but it was a lovely day."

"My husband was a handsome man."

This is what it looked like when she got married

Visiting made her feel like things had come full circle.

"It was a scorching hot day, one of my little bridesmaids, fainted in the heat and everyone was glad they'd worn cool clothes," Ms Quinney said.

"I can see faces and hear people's voices, it sort of brings it back from a long time ago."

She hoped the chapel would become "something nice".

It was opened to visitors on Friday when it looked like this

"It's very sad but it's gone now, you can't bring it back to what it was so you have to accept it," Ms Quinney said.

The interior was on show to visitors for the first time in more than 50 years of being hidden inside the Howells building, which was owned by House of Fraser.

Building work is under way, with plans to turn the chapel into a space for eating and drinking.

Developers hope it will be open to the public by 2025.

It will be the central feature of £100m plans to transform the Grade II listed building, which has been empty since House of Fraser closed this year.

The owners said they expected only a handful of people to visit

Also visiting was former employee Susan Davies and husband Malcolm, from Splott.

Ms Davies worked there from 1971-79 in assorted departments.

Her mother worked in the glove section and her aunt in the florist's.

About 200 people visited the store

"It was the best time of my life here because I met so many stars, it was brilliant," she said.

"I met Tommy Cooper, Henry Cooper, the lady off 'On the Buses' the mother [Doris Hare], Harry Secombe, Anita Harris, she came in the store and she bought us all Easter eggs."

Susan Trepleton worked at the store for 17 years until it closed in March.

The 68-year-old and a number of her former colleagues came "to see what they've been up to".

Susan Davies, pictured with husband Malcolm Davies, had the best time of her life working in Howells

She is writing a book about the site and the Howells family.

"There's lots to uncover and every one us has played a part in the history of the store - the customers, celebrities that came here, the ghosts all still here," she said.

Martin Hunt, 70, worked there from August 1969 until it closed.

Former employee Susan Trepleton is writing a book about the history of the site

"It's obviously strange, but it's nice at the same time to be back on the site, which is so historic," he said.

Owners Thackeray Estates opened the site for visitors curious to see inside.

The firm's Giles Hoare said about 200 people turned up.

"It's not a straightforward building and every time we knock something down we are uncovering something perhaps we didn't know was there," he said.