The name or dedication of the church.
This identifies the church type. Most churches are parish churches which means they serve a specific parish or area. Other types such as chapel, daughter and mission are mostly historic designations as many are now also parish churches. Please note that former churches are no longer used for worhsip and may be in private ownership.
A unique identification number given to every church.
The name of the diocese in which the church is located.
The name of the archdeaconry in which the church is located.
This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.
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There are 3 levels of listing: Grade I, II* & II. The majority of buildings which are of special interest are Grade II. A much smaller number of particularly important buildings are listed as Grade II*. Buildings of exceptional interest (approx 2% of the total number of listed buildings) are Grade I.
Ancient monuments and archaeological remains of national importance are protected by law. Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service is responsible for compiling a schedule (list) of these ancient monuments, some of which can be found in churches and churchyards. Examples can include churchyard crosses and the archaeological remains of previous churches or buildings on the site.
There are three National Parks in Wales: Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons. These protect 20 percent of the land in Wales, including precious landscapes, habitats, villages and heritage sites.
There are over 500 conservation areas in Wales. They are designated by local planning authorities for their special architectural and historic interest.
The Buildings at Risk register is managed by Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service) in order to identify the number and type of listed buildings at risk in Wales.
It is often extremely difficult to determine a precise date of construction for a church as many have been extensively altered over time. Church Heritage Cymru therefore shows a date range within which a church is believed to have been constructed. The dates are as follows: Early Medieval (pre 1066), Medieval (post 1066 to 1540), Post Medieval (1540 to 1837), Victorian/Pre WWI (1837 to 1914) and Modern (post 1914).
This is a very brief summary of the church's main features. More detailed nformation can be found in the other fields and pages (tabs) in this database.
Useful information is displayed here for people wishing to visit the church. This may include things like opening hours, catering & toilet facilities, parking, etc.
If the church has its own website the details will be displayed here.
Any further sources of information for the church will be listed here (eg. links to other historic databases).
This is the Ordnance Survey (OS) reference for the location of the church. Some locations will be approximate as this data is continuously being refined and updated.
This is the name of the Local Authoirity within which the church is located.
This describes how the church relates to its immediate and wider environment, sometimes called its setting. It describes how the church contributes to its landscape or townscape and how these things collectively contribute to the character of the area.
The church is set back from, and on west side of, Bute Street at its northern end about 2km south west of Cardiff Civic Centre.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 171 Historic Wales Listing notice 13981
This is a description of the ground plan of the church.
If known, the dimensions (measurements) of the church ground plan will be displayed here.
If the footrprint (area) of the church is known, it will be displayed here.
A description of the history and archaeology of the church and its site.
The medieval St Mary’s church had collapse due to the encroachment of the River Taff, this build on land given by the second marquess of Bute was built between 1841 and 1843. The population of the area had reached 6,000. The architect was John (Thomas) Foster, an architect from Liverpool. Funding was largely provided by the Bute family but William Wordsworth wrote a sonnet – “When Severn’s sweeping flood had overthrown St Mary” - to raise funds. The total cost of the works was £5,724 and the church opened for divine service on 14 December 1843. Restoration took place in 1879 when the old three-decker pulpit was removed, the organ moved from the west gallery and placed on the northeast side of the church and the old box pews were replaced by individual chairs. In 18884-5 the church was re-ordered in line with the liturgical movement, a new altar was erected with choir stalls and the whole sanctuary rearranged and redecorated all under the guidance of John Dando Sedding. G E Halliday, the Diocesan architect added vestries in 1907.
Reference Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001 Historic Wales Listing notice 13981 Church Building and Restoration in Victorian Glamorgan Geoffrey R Orrin 2004
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
To accommodate the need for liturgical correctness the chancel of the church at its east end faces the street thus obliging parishioner to walk the full length of the church to come in through the broad central entrance with intersecting chevron and hatched ornamentation to the arch mouldings with a plain tympanum and trumeau to the twin west doorways. . The church was built with a coursed, dark coloured sandstone with Bath stone dressings while the roof is covered with blue slates. The church has twin towers with pyramidal fish scale caps to the roofs with grotesque carved corbel tables and narrowly louvered belfries and pilaster buttresses. In the gable is a moulded rose window. The nave has its learn-to aisles set back so that it is one bay longer, the chancel has apse and there is a north west vestry
Information about any noteable architects, artists, people, or events associated with the church.
Information about any important features and building fabric.
If known, a list of the church's major building material/s will be displayed here.
Any renewable energy systems the church is using will be listed here.
This section gives a general description of the interior of the church. Further details of any important internal fixtures and fittings will be listed below.
There is a flat five-bay ceiling to the nave, the arcades have round-headed arches and massive cylindrical columns with Norman style capitals and bases and hood moulds over the arches with grotesque heads at the points of intersection. There are simple trusses to the lean-to aisles on stone corbels, the aisles formerly had galleries and the west gallery is still in existence. The organ was brought from Clifton Street Presbyterian church. The fine wrought-iron screen was formerly on St Dyfrig’s church in Cardiff is between the wester most columns of the nave while the wooden pulpit and choir stalls are in the astern most bay of the nave. The chancel arch is flanked by paintings of, to the left, St Winifred, and to the right, St Margaret. The chancel arch has Romanesque shafts and imposts, the orders of the arch have painted decoration. The elaborate apse has a decoratively painted ribbed five-bay vault with Gothic arches to it wall arcade and tall shafts with leaf capitals. In C16 Italian style are painted medallions of Biblical scenes. The arcade is divided into 5 groups of 3 Gothic arched niches, those flanking the altar have life sized statues of the twelve apostles on plinths. These were made by Searle of Exeter from 1894. The lowest zone has blind arcading in Romanesque style. Above the altar is an elaborate free-standing altarpiece with the Adoration of Shepherds in an early C16 Venetian style, the work of P Westlake in 1894, it has a carved frame with angels on the and buttress and symbols of the Eucharist and Christ’s passion. The stained glass: ‘The Russian Convoy Club’, Bryn Young, 1998; ‘St Stephen’.
Reference Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001 Historic Wales Listing notice 13981
Stained Glass in Wales Church Building and Restoration in Victorian Glamorgan Geoffrey R Orrin 2004
Information about the church's important internal fixtures and fittings.
Information about the church's important moveable items and artworks.
A description of the ecology of the churchyard.
Information about the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.
Records whether the church has been consecrated.
Records whether there have been burials in the churchyard.
Records whether the churchyard is still being used for burials.
Records whether there are any war graves in the churchyard.
Any important churchyard structures will be listed here.
Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship of the church to its surrounding area and helps place it within its wider landscape context.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the significance of the historic building fabric of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the historic significance of the interior of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship between the church and its community.