St Mary's Church, St Mary's Square, Swansea, Glamorgan

Description

Denomination: Anglican

Dedication: St Mary

Built: 1950s (see notes 1 and 2 below)

Colour photography: John Ball
Date: 4 Jan 2006
Camera: Fuji FinePix S602 Zoom digital

Note 1: Present church is the fifth or possibly the sixth, to be built on this site, and was re-built in the 1950s following damage during WWII. Documentary evidence indicates that wallpaintings were found during the demolition of 1896. [Source: Coflein database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (accessed 18 June 2015)]

Image 1:

The south aspect of St Mary's Church, Swansea.

Note 2: St. Mary's Church in Swansea's centre was founded in the twelfth century. However, the current building is the result of extensive rebuilding, restoration and war-time destruction throughout its long history. It is reported that the building's aging nave roof collapsed one Sunday morning in 1739 without warning, just before the congregation entered:
"the roof of the Middle Isle ... unexpectedly fell in on Sunday the 20th of May, 1739, just before Divine Service began, by which particular instance of Divine guidance the lives of many people were saved, and only one person wounded."
St Mary's vestry book
[For further details see the Explore Gower website (accessed 18 June 2015)]

Image 2:

Above: The northwestern aspect of St Mary's Church.

Note 3: There was a church on the site of St Mary's since circa 1328, erected by Henry de Gower, Bishop of Saint David's. One Sunday morning, in 1739, the roof of the nave collapsed into the church. Fortunately this was before the waiting congregation entered the building. The whole structure was re-built apart from the tower. In 1822 the church was lit by gas for the first time with thirty six lamps. The church underwent complete renovation between 1879 and 1882 by Vicar Dr Morgan. In 1896, the church was flattened and rebuilt again under the designs of Arthur Blomfield by Dean Allan Smith, though some parts of the old church survived the re-development. In Feb 1941 the Church was extensively damaged by bombing during the Blitz. It was not rebuilt until the 1950s.
[Source: Wikipedia online encyclopaedia (accessed 19 June 2015)]

Right: Pre-war (1929) aerial photo
of St Mary's Church
[Source: Britain from Above]

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/churches/swansea5.htm (link opens in new window)