Church of All Saints (Oystermouth)
The Church of All Saints is a church on the Gower Peninsula . The church, protected as a Grade II cultural monument, is located on a small hill in a green area in the center of Oystermouth, a district of Mumbles .
history
The church was first mentioned in 1141 when it was donated to the Benedectine priory of Ewenny by the Norman Lord Maurice de Londres . It was probably built on the remains of an ancient villa from Roman times that was discovered during the expansion in the 19th century. In 1337 the church was placed under St David's Hospital in Swansea . After the Reformation, the parish became impoverished and the church was temporarily neglected. After Oystermouth as a resort has undergone a rebirth in the 19th century, the old church for the growing community too small, which is why the medieval was nave was extended by a side aisle 1860th In 1873 the sacristy was added. The enlarged church soon turned out to be too small, which is why the attached aisle was demolished again in 1915 and replaced by a large nave in neo-Gothic style according to plans by Leonard William Barnard . Because of the First World War, the extension was not completed for a long time and was not completed until 1937. Since then, the old medieval church has served as the aisle of the new church.
The church is now the parish church of the Parish of Oystermouth , a parish in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon of the Church in Wales .
Building description
The medieval and neo-Gothic churches are built parallel to one another. The southern part is the medieval church, built in the 13th century, with a crenellated Norman west tower and a smaller choir. The larger church in Perpendicular Style has a north transept and a north aisle, the medieval nave serves as the south aisle. The medieval choir serves as the Lady Chapel . The church is built from rubble stones, each of the two churches has its own slate roof.
The interior made of exposed rubble stones has a high wooden gable roof . The medieval south aisle is separated by three arcades, the five lower arcades to the north aisle are from the addition from 1860 and were moved during the expansion. The plastered south aisle also has a wooden gable roof, the north aisle a wooden pent roof . The high altar and the wooden pulpit are neo-Gothic, the choir is separated by a stone arch and a wooden rood screen, which serves as a war memorial for the 98 members of the parish who died in the First World War. The square, stone baptismal font dates from the 12th or 13th century and has a wooden top donated in 1915. The Lady Chapel has three lancet windows from the 13th century on the east side , the stained glass windows date from the 19th century. The remaining stained glass windows in the church are from the late 19th and 20th centuries. In the north aisle is the Lifeboat window, created in 1977, which commemorates the eight sea rescuers from Oystermouth who drowned on April 23, 1947 while trying to rescue the crew of the stranded ship Samtampa . In addition to the eight sea rescuers, all 39 crew members of the Samtampa were also killed in this accident.
Others
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was an altar boy and chorister for the parish as a child. The doctor and Shakespeare researcher Thomas Bowdler is buried on the north side of the church yard .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Cadw Listed Building Database Record: Church of All Saints, Oystermouth. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 17, 2014 ; accessed on May 15, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Stained Glass in Wales: Church of All Saints, Oystermouth, Swansea. Retrieved May 15, 2014 .
- ^ Tour of All Saints Church Mumbles Swansea. Retrieved January 17, 2016 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 34 ′ 24.2 " N , 3 ° 59 ′ 47" W.