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.
Baglan is situated on the northeast side of the M4 6.5km northwest of Port Talbot, 5km south of Neath and 11km east of Swansea. The church on the south eastern portion of the village is prominently sited at the junction of church Road and St Illtyd’s Drive. It has a walled churchyard with the Baglan Brook on its south eastern side.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 170 Cadw Listing notice 14171
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 remains of the medieval church are to be found to the northeast of the present church. In1875-82 the Diocesan Architect John Pritchard designed the church, it was his most ambitious project but the day-to-day work was overseen by the local architect John Jones. According to the Western mail of 8 March 1882 the church cost £17,000 and established Pritchard as the foremost ecclesiastical architect in south east Wales. The scale of the work was financed by John Pritchard’s cousin Griffin Llewellyn if Baglan Hall. It took seven years to complete the work as no stone was dressed on site (in imitation of the building of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Madelina Llewellyn on 26 June 1875 and the dedication St Catharine is the name of Griffin Llewellyn’s mother.
Reference Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001 Cadw Listing Notice 14171 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.
This church is an example of the outstanding style of Geometrical Gothic or Decorated style church of cruciform pattern with a tall crossing tower and spire, chancel, nave and transepts and a south porch. It was built with alternating layers of thick and thin coursed local sandstone with red Forest of Dean stone dressings and a steep slate roof behind coped gables. There are cross finials on the gables In the angle between the chancel and south transept is a polygonal stair turret which has a pyramidal stone roof below the bell stage. The tower is well proportioned and with the spire provides a strong focus to the building on its western face is a clock. The upper stages of the tower and spire are built of ashlar. The upper stage of the tower turns octagonal with 2-light belfry windows in the cardinal directions and above the sills there are quatrefoils carved with central four-leaf flowers. At the angles of the tower are large pinnacles which begin square and rise above the gables as clustered filleted shafts the recesses of which sprout foliage beneath a moulded cornice with conical caps. The spire is steep with, in the cardinal directions above the belfry windows, 2-light lucarnes. It is topped by a weather cock.
Reference Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001 Cadw Listing notice 14171 Church Building and Restoration in Victorian Glamorgan Geoffrey R Orrin 2004 Stained Glass in Wales
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.
Interior
The quality of the building starts with the double iron gates in the porch which open on to a mosaic floor – a style found throughout the church save when it is replaced by marble. The south doorway to the nave is chamfered and pointed without capitals while the head stops are portraits of Griffin Llewellyn and Bishop Ollivant of Llandaff who consecrated the church on 7th March 1882. The porch has a pointed arch-braced roof with castellated wall plates and shield at the foot of the principals. The interior walls, piers and arches are sumptuously banded with pale grey-green Quarella stone, red Forest of Dean stone and pinkish-amber Penarth alabaster and the window have finely moulded rere arches. The nave, which has no clerestory, has a 3-bay north arcade with round piers, moulded capitals and 2-centred arches which have a continuous hood mould with foliage and head stops. Above is a 4-bay arched-braced roof with open arcading above the wall plates and is boarded with windbraces behind the principals. On either side of the crossing are two corbelled heads representing life and death. There is a step up to the crossing and the mosaic floor is now much richer. Above the roof is rib-vaulted and has moulded 2-centre arches with two orders of chamfer. There are stiff-leaf capitals to the imposts that stand on short shafts above corbels of the 4 Evangelists looking to the nave and chancel while looking to the transepts are king, queen, knight and bishop. The chancel which is up to more pink marble steps is walled in banded marble. Here the roof is arched-braced and boarded over the altar. The wall plates at the foot of the principals have angels bearing the symbols of the Passion. The sanctuary is up four steps and is laid with Devonshire marble and a rich Italian mosaic. The east window is flanked by panels set with decorative Italian tiles while the rere arch is cusped with an outer order consisting of a rich vine trail and has shafts with ring shafts and stiff-leaf capitals
The fittings form a complete set by Pritchard, the wood and stone carved by Wormleighton of Cardiff. The pulpit and font are in white alabaster with marble panels. The richly decorated octagonal font is mounted on a mosaic plinth, the stem has fillets shafts and stiff-leaf capitals. Around the bowl are marble panels which have stone quatrefoils in relief and framing sculpted crosses and heads. In a similar manner the pulpit is octagonal and has marble panels with Gothic stone arches in relief and an alabaster carving of Christ with his disciples to the front while above is a foliage cornice. The pulpit stands on a stem with cusped arches below nodding crocketed gablets with finials and foliage friezes. There brass balusters to the steps similar to the altar rails which have thin scrolled rails intersected by horizontal bands.
The reredos spans the full width of the chancel showing the Resurrection in black and white marble, designed by H H Armstead in an early-English style, it has detached shafts with shaft rings and cusped arches with crocketed gables and finials in alternately alabaster and polished Quarella stone. The front row of the stalls have richly moulded ends including figures of St Catherine added in 1888. The stained glass: ‘The Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and St John’, designed by Edward Coley Burne-Jones for Morris & Co, 1880; ‘St Cecilia with Musical Angels’, designed by Edward Coley Burne-Jones for Morris & Co, 1880; ‘St Catherine’, Celtic Studios, 1972. The ring of six bells was cast in 1899 by John Taylor & Co.
Reference
Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001 Stained Glass in Wales Cadw Listing notice 14171 Church Building and Restoration in Victorian Glamorgan Geoffrey R Orrin 2004 A National Bell Register - George Dawson's Website - Homestead
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.