St Luke's Church, Abercarn, Monmouthshire

Description

Denomination: Anglican

Dedication: St Luke

Built: 1890 (now derelict)

Photograph (exterior): Google StreetView
Date: May 2009

Photographs (interior): Andy Dolman
Date: 17 February 2009

Note 1: St. Luke's iron church, erected in 1890, has 500 sittings; there are also English and Welsh Baptist, Primitive Methodist, Calvinistic Methodists, Welsh Congregational and Presbyterian chapels. [Source: 1901 Kelly's Monmouthshire Directory]

Note 2: St Luke's Church is built in the Gothic style, with a long-wall entry type. A prominent feature is the integral tower. [Source: Coflein website (NPRN 13129)]

Note 3: For much of my life, this St Luke's Church was the parish church of Abercarn, but as the years went by, the congregation dwindled to a point where we could not maintain this huge building and it was de-consecrated. From 1980 onwards, the remaining worshippers shared the Welsh Presbyterian [Calvinistic Methodist] church building. Someone had the sense to make St Luke's a listed building, but now time and neglect and outright vandalism is taking its toll and I fear it won't be long before it just falls down of its own accord. [Adapted from Linda Joyce's blog on the Dreamwidth.org website]

Note 4: There have been two churches in Abercarn dedicated to St Luke. The larger and much more impressive of the two was shut in 1980, after many years of problems with the roof. The original roof was replaced with concrete in 1958. I have also heard from a local man that it was the first church in the world with an arched roof above the altar, though obviously I'm not sure whether that's true. I can't really find much history about this place, unfortunately, and what I do find is hearsay from locals, but it is a gorgeous building. [Source: UK Urban Exploration Forum entry (by 'vixana66') on the 28 Days Later website]


Image 2, 3:

Interior shots of St Luke's Church, now derelict. [Photography © Copyright Andy Dolman and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence]

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/churches/abercarn2.htm (link opens in new window)