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.
Gowerton is a former metallurgical town some 7km west north west of the Swansea City Centre just south of the Loughor estuary. The church is In a quiet residential area in the centre of Gowerton Village set back from Church Street, where it changes angle, to the south of a distributor road on the line of former railway.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 170
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.
Built as a Chapel of Ease, at cost of £3000, to the parish of Loughor, the church was constructed on land donated by Sir John Dillwyn Llewellyn of Penllergaer. A grant of £150 was received from the Incorporated Society for the Enlargement, Building and Repair of Churches towards its construction. The building was undertaken by Thomas, Watkins and Jenkins of Swansea; to the designs of J Bacon Fowler of Brecon and Swansea at a cost of £3,000 and was opened in 1881.The chancel was refitted in 1900 when the walls were fully lined in Italian marble, and a matching altar and reredos were installed. This was the gift of Colonel J R Wright, proprietor of the Elba Steelworks in Gowerton, who had set up a new steel making plant in Italy and brought the marble and workmen back with him.
References
Cadw Listings Notice
Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001
Church Quinquennial Inspection Reports
Kelly’s Directory of Monmouthshire and South Wales 1890
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The church has a Nave with bellcote and chancel with a south porch and vestry to the north. It is traditionally constructed in snecked rock-faced stone with prominent solid green Bridgend sandstone dressings under a slate covered saddleback roofs and with a dressed plinth. The chancel gable has a decorative cross on it.
Reference
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 seven bay nave with arch-braced roof, the braces supported on scalloped corbels. The pointed chancel arch is of two orders, the inner one supported on pendant corbels. The chancel is of three and a half bay with high arch-braces supported on hollow decorated corbels with low arcading rising from the wall plates. The chancel wall is fully lined in a marble veneer, grey with red bands brought back from Italy by Col J R Wright of the Gowerton Steelworks. The marble tiles in the chancel are black, white and chocolate. Above is a decorated coloured frieze to the tops of the side walls. Surrounding the sanctuary is a red marble reredos with blind arcading. The trefoil-headed arches are supported on black columns. Behind the altar the reredos is 2-tier and flanked by pilasters. The upper tier has blind trefoiled arches under gables, flanking a wide trefoil-headed ogee arch on black columns, immediately behind the altar, it is surmounted by a cross and has foliate decoration in the spandrels. A pointed arched door leads north into the vestry with planked doors under a recessed tefoiled tympanum.
The two church bells were cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1964 lie next to the font.
The stained glass is of considerable interest: 'The Ascension' was donated by the Elba Steelworks Company c1885; the single -light sanctuary window depicts 'St John the Divine writing the last book of the bible' and is probably contemporary with the marble lining in the chancel c1900; the three lights depict ' The Transfiguration of Christ' in the middle 'the Last Supper' to the left while to the right is 'The call of James and John'. In the south of the nave two windows: 'Jesus, the Good Samaritan, offering a cup of nourishment to a man in need' this was designed by Lawrence Lee who also designed windows in Coventry Cathedral, it shows, in the background the blast furnaces while the roundels show the steel-making scenes - the furnace, a rolling mill and a bar mill. To the right the window depicts 'Peter with John healing the lame man at the gate of the temple'
On the north wall there are two war memorials, an ornate World War One in cream marble surrounded with pilasters, plinth and flat head. Inside is an ornate trefoil-headed arch surmounted by a large cross, under which is a list of the men who died. A plainer grey marble tablet on a black background to the right with the cornice reading '1939. Our Glorious Dead. 1945.'
A model of the Ark is sited on a south west window together with a wooden box said to contain a fragment of the original Ark found on Mount Ararat.
Cadw Listing notice
Buildings of Wales - Glamorgan
Quinuennial Inspection Reports
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.