Catholic Church of St Joseph, Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff

History

Neo-Romanesque church built 1866-8 to designs of Benjamin Bucknall of Swansea at a cost of £1,100. The builder was Mr Richards of Aberdare. Bucknall trained under Charles Hansom in Bristol, and went on to set up his own practice in Swansea. He designed the Catholic Church Our Lady and St Michael in Abergavenny (1858-60) and carried out alterations to St David, Swansea (1864) and St Mary, Monmouth (1870-1). He was also responsible for St Nicholas Seaman’s Church (1868) and St Matthew’s Church (1886) in Swansea, as well as some domestic building in the area (Glyn-y-Coed on Newtown Road, Mumbles). His practice (Bucknall & Jennings) later designed a range of notable buildings including the theatre at Craig-y-nos (1890, GI), the Palace Theatre in Swansea (1888).

The choice of neo-Romanesque style at Aberdare is unusual, particularly for this date – the style had been more popular in the 1840s. Bucknall was a keen proponent of the style and used it widely, such as at the Seaman’s Church in Swansea, at the same time as designing St Joseph. Later it influenced his design of St Matthew, also in Swansea, and the Church of the Holy Trinity at Llanegwad in Carmarthenshire (1878, GII*).

During the C19, Aberdare, like many towns in the valleys of S Wales, grew rapidly with industrialisation based on coal and iron ore in the surrounding area, and its population expanded from a relative low level of 3,000 in 1830 to 32,000 in 1861 and then to 43,000 in 1900. Much of the population growth was from immigrant workers and their families from Ireland, as well as from Italy.

To cater for the needs of this growing Catholic population in the early-mid C19 travelling priests visited the town from Abergavenny, Brecon and Cardiff with mass said at locations across the town, including the Bailey Arms, The Cross Keys and the Cardiff Castle Inn. The Rev. Augustine Neary established a mission in the town in 1854, which went onto serve Treforest, Mountain Ash, Hirwaun and Ferndale. The Rev. John Dawson was appointed as the mission priest and he was able, with local support, to raise the funding for the construction of a church and presbytery. Construction began in 1866 and the church was opened on 3 October 1868 by the Right Rev. Bishop Brown of Newport and Menevia. A Presbytery, attached to the W, was also built and set back from the street by a garden court on the side of the church.

From 1882 to 1911 under the stewardship of Rev James O’Reilly the baptistery, sacristy and Sacred Heart chapel were added, possibly to the designs of Bernard Smith of London (who was working for O’Reilly in designing a new church in Mountain Ash), or by F.R. Bates. Stained glass by Hardman & Co of Birmingham was added to the Sacred Heart chapel in 1910 in honour of Sr Gonzaga who had ministered in the town from 1885 to 1910. After WWII the parish priest Rev. John Cahalane carried out a range of alterations including a new organ, reordering of the sanctuary, and replacement of the tiled floor with Rhodesian teak boards. The baptistery has since been converted to an entrance and the original plaster ceiling of the nave has been removed. Painted copper panels of unknown date and artist, but originally part of the high altar, have been relocated to the liturgical E wall of the sanctuary. The church is clustered with those at Mountain Ash and Hirwaun and is served from the former, maintaining the historic connection of these communities.

Exterior

Church, simple neo-Romanesque style. Orientated NW-SE, liturgical E end to NW. Stone, randomly coursed, yellow sandstone dressings, slate roof. Dentil eaves. NW end of nave slate hung. Round headed windows with projecting cills. Aisleless nave with polygonal side chapel, W baptistery, square ended sanctuary with additions.

Gable entrance to SE, central round arched double ordered doorway, Gibbs head and panelled pilasters. Tympanum carved with an alisée patée cross (a Greek cross with rounded circular edges). Above is a stepped round headed and joined tripartite lancet window. Attached to the right is a single storey polygonal baptistery. Doorway, adjacent to church door, with a pointed trefoil-headed entrance with carved reliefs of the heads of Our Lord and Our Lady to the capitals. Window in N side. Attached to NE corner is polygonal chapel with windows to E and W. N wall of Nave with two paired small windows to left with a round window above, two further single large windows to right set higher. Sanctuary at W end with gabled roof, central circular window divided into 4 lights. Smaller building attached to N in angle with nave, single window in N elevation. Brick extension to sanctuary to W. Presbytery and sacristy attached to S. S elevation of nave divided in 2 unequal parts, to left single tall windows set high with door in red brick surround under the right. To the right two pairs of windows with circular windows centrally above. Presbytery attached to SW.

Interior

Nave of 3-bays. Timber floor, plastered and painted walls, timber boarded barrel vaulted roof. Plain sanctuary arch at W end, to the side are plaster statues, Our Lady of Fatima to the left, and St Joseph with the infant Christ to the right. Over the apex of the arch is a banner of St Joseph. Sanctuary raised by 2 steps, forward altar of marble with applied relief of the last supper. Single circular window to W, below is a crucifix with 3 copper panels of saints to either side. From l: St Vincent de Paul, St Catherine of Siena, St Juliana Falconieri, St Thomas Aquinas, St Aloysius Gonzaga, and St Hildegard of Bingen.

Stained glass. Nave, S wall from L: first 3 depict the Eucharist (dated 1906), St David, and St Patrick; Our Lady of Good Counsel (after the Augustinian church at Genazzano, nr Rome); Our Lady of Lourdes with inscription for installation in 1894 to commemorate the golden jubilee of the foundation of the mission. N wall from L: Betrothal of Our Lady and St Joseph; St Michael and the souls in purgatory; St Paul; St Peter; St James. Sacred Heart Chapel: St Aloysius and Bl. Margaret Mary, by Hardman & Co., 1910.

Narthex at E end with stair to the SW to full width gallery. Confessional underneath with coloured stained glass Art Deco style doors. Former baptistery now used as entrance porch, stained glass window of St John the Evangelist, floor of reconstituted marble with central quatrefoil detail. Sacred Heart chapel to N, raised on single step with decorative steel and brass railings and gate, gate with painted central Sacred Heart panel. Encaustic tile floor, marble altar with timber statue of the Sacred Heart. Stained glass and brass plate in honour of Sr Gonzaga. Carved wooden relief of St Joseph. Sacristy with baroque brass and marble holy water stoup, hinged doors with repoussé reliefs of the Annunciation, a baptism, knights receiving Holy Communion, and ordinations.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special architectural interest as a church in a distinctive and unusual style that has survived relatively unaltered, albeit with some sensitive later additions. It is a prominent building on Monk Street and retains a range of furnishings and stained glass of quality. It is also of special historic interest in the development of the industrial areas of S Wales through the C19 reflecting the influx of migrant workers and the growth of the Catholic religion in the working class communities of Wales.

External Links

Cadwr Listing

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