Catholic Church of Christ the King, including forecourt walls, gate and gate piers, Builth (Llanfair-ym-Muallt), Powys

History

Built 1952-3 in a late Arts and Crafts Romanesque style under the supervision of Fr J B O’Connell, the parish priest and a distinguished liturgical scholar.

At the start of the C20 the area of mid-Wales around Builth was without a Catholic church or priest. Visiting priests did provide occasional ministry but there was no permanent priest until 1907 when Fr Patrick Kane took up residency in Llandrindod Wells. It wasn’t until 1936 that mass was offered in Builth, in a room in the Crown Hotel that was later made into a chapel.

The Builth chapel and mission was taken over in 1944 by Fr (Canon) J B O’Connell, a noted liturgical scholar with a particular interest in the design and arrangement of churches. Although the town parish covered a large area there was only a small congregation of Catholics at that time, but O’Connell though was able to secure a legacy of £6,000 from Vicar General Mgr George Nightingale for the construction of a new church.
A plot for the new church was acquired on a site along Garth Road, rapidly being developed in the post-war years. Designs were made by the architect T Edmund Rees of Messrs Johnson, Richards & Rees of Merthyr Tydfil (also designer of the Carnegie Library in Merthyr Tydfil, ref 11442) with the construction carried out by Messrs F Morris of Hereford. Bishop Petit laid the foundation stone on 16 July 1952 and the church of Christ the King opened 21 May 1953. The crucifix above the entrance porch was carved by Francis Leech of Layton & Leech, stonemasons of Cambridge.

Having led the foundation of Christ the King Fr O’Connell was later to attend a number of international functions on liturgy including the Second Vatican Council as a ‘peritus’ (expert observer) and published his ideas on church designs and furnishings. He was of the view that in church design innovation should be tempered by tradition, with importance being placed on visual orderliness and harmony. His most notable work is The Celebration of Mass: A Study of the Rubrics of the Roman Missal (1956) and he also wrote the widely published Church Building and Furnishing: The Church’s Way (1955).

The church of Christ the King is an embodiment of his approach to church design. Whilst the church is not ground breaking or advanced in its layout – it predates the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council – its importance lies in its coherence, attention to detail and considered overall design. There are similarities with the Grade II listed church of The Holy Redeemer, St Wulstan and St Eadburga in Pershore, Worcs. built 1958-9 for a colleague of O’Connell, another carefully considered but otherwise traditional and simple design. O’Connell, along with another liturgist Fr James Crichton of Pershore would later advise Fr Cunnane on the design of the revived Marian Shrine at the Welsh National Shrine of Our lady of the Taper in Cardigan.

The arrangement of the Sanctuary has been changed, and the altar (stripped of its original dossal and riddle posts but retaining its timber canopy) has been altar pushed against the East wall, and a new altar installed in 2003 to mark the church’s 50th anniversary Otherwise the church remains largely unaltered.

Exterior

Church, Arts and Crafts Romanesque style. Set back from Garth Road with a partly-paved forecourt with brick boundary wall, gate and gate piers. Built in pale red brick in Flemish bond, pantile roof set on deep eaves with tiled kneelers. Narrow round headed windows, clear glazing with small rectangular panes. Sloping buttresses to sides and porch. Comprises a wide aisle-less nave, W porch, sanctuary and flat roofed sacristies set down below main roof at the E end.

W front set back from Garth Road, projecting porch with pitched roof, triple ordered round arched doorway. Pairs of windows either side, above a stone crucifix (after Eric Gill) in relief and with the inscription REGNAVIT A LIGNO DEVS (God has reigned from a tree). Buttresses to front corners of the porch. Sides of 4-bays with paired windows to first bay and triple windows to rest. Buttresses between each bay. Paired windows to sacristies and higher level paired windows to either side of the sanctuary. Main E wall blind. Further flat roofed extension at E end with boarded door in S wall and single windows in stepped E wall.

Interior

Narrow entrance porch leads to timber vestibule with part glazed doors to each side. Interior comprises a single wide space with wood parquet floor, plain plastered walls and curved ceiling. Baptistery in NW corner, octagonal stone font enclosed by wrought iron railings incorporating riddel posts from the original high altar. E end sanctuary raised by a single step. Original high altar, set back, and modern (2013) forward altar with oak canopy with gilded dove above (original). Stone piscine in wall on S side. Furnishings and woodwork of high quality and include stations of the Cross by Dame Werburg Welch OSB (a disciple of Desmond Chute and Eric Gill), confessional in NW corner, statue of Christ the King over the high altar, both by Charles Victor Gretner, woodcarver of Hereford and created for the earlier chapel. 2 oak statues of St Joseph and the Virgin Mary by Francis Leech flank the sanctuary. Original chairs.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special architectural interest as a well detailed Catholic church from the post-war period. It has a modest architectural character but that is an expression of the ideas of its founder, and the intention to produce a harmonious well considered church building. It has survived largely intact and retains a range of high quality original fittings and furnishings. It is also of special historic interest for its connection to Fr O’Connell, an important liturgical scholar and writer.

External Links

Cadwr Listing

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