A DERELICT chapel and graveyard sold for more than five times its guide price at auction.

The detached 1819-built building in St Dials, Cwmbran, was snapped up by a Cardiff man for £46,000 – £38,000 above its £8,000 guide price – despite local legend that the graveyard is haunted by the Black Hound of the Underworld.

Paul Fosh Auctions of Newport said the single storey building attracted interest from eight bidders at an auction at The Park Hotel in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Originally used by Non- Conformist worshippers, the chapel hasn’t been used for generations.

And the new owner should be mindful of the local legend, which states the Black Hound stalks the premises haunting the souls of men.

The story goes that a minister heard the baying of a hound as it sensed its prey late one night.

Soon after, he saw a great black hound following him, and realising he was its prey, struck it between the eyes with his bible.

The creature promptly burst in to flames and disappeared leaving the minister’s soul intact, but his beard singed.

The chapel has planning permission for residential conversion into a one-bedroom home.

The previous owner was interested in developing the site, but never got round to it, so decided to sell the building so they could move on to other projects.

The chapel, which is not listed and hasn’t had a congregation for many years, can be converted to provide one large room with a smaller room, but further planning permission would be needed to go ahead.

Newowners, retired HR director Stephen Quinn and his partner, nurse Gail Rhys-Jones, of Cardiff, said they were “over the moon” with the purchase which they were determined to have.

Ms Rhys-Jones said: “We intend to treat this historic building with the utmost respect.

“We are speaking to the planners and will most probably turn it into really high specification detached home which we will then sell on.

“In the meantime we want to find out as much history as we can about the building also the graveyard and will talk to local people to find out what they knowabout the chapel and those buried alongside.

“We can’t wait to get the keys”.