St Mary's Church, Compton Road / Villers Road, Skewen, Glamorgan

Description

Denomination: Anglican

Dedication: St Mary

Built: 1906

Photography: Unknown origin
Date: 2011
Camera: Unknown

Note 1: The daughter church of the parish [of Skewen]. Located on the junction of Compton Road and Villiers Road. This will be the location of the 'New' St. Mary's Community Centre. [Source: Church in Wales website (accessed 19 Jan 2015)]

Note 2: St Mary;s Church stands in a corner plot bounded by Compton and Villiers road. The existing church remains in use for weekend services. The vestry, which was located adjacent to the church on the south side of the site has now been demolished with the only remaining reference being the floor slab. Due to declining numbers it has become extremely difficult to sustain its original intended use. The existing church is not listed and as such no involvement with CADW has taken place. [Source: Planning Application Design and Access Statement; report dated 10 Jun 2011]

Note 3: It has been part of the Skewen community for more than a century. So it was an emotional farewell to a much-loved building when the last service was held at St Mary's Church, Villiers Road, on Sunday, ahead of its demolition. Vicar of St Mary's, Mark Williams, said: "It was a day of mixed emotions really, it was a significant milestone in the life of the church. It was opened 106 years ago in 1905. For us at St Mary's it has got into a condition where it made more sense to start again rather than patch things up." [Source: South Wales Evening Post article dated 20 Dec 2011, accessed 19 January 2015]

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/churches/skewen9.htm (link opens in new window)