Catholic Church of St Illtyd, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil

History

Catholic church of 3 periods: a stone-built chapel of 1844-7 by J J Scoles; a large addition in hard red brick with transeptal gables and octagonal-roofed apse of 1894 by Edmund Kirby of Liverpool; and 2 stone built aisles added in 1920 and designed by F R Bates of Newport.

Merthyr, like many towns in S Wales, saw rapid industrial and population growth in the early C19. Much of this growth in the Merthyr and Dowlais area was made up by migrant workers, many from Ireland, recruited to the ironworks and collieries. A mission was established in Merthyr Tydfil c1825 in a loft over a slaughterhouse at Pondside and served by Rev. P Portal from Newport. By 1839 there was a resident priest, Rev. James Carroll, and he established a school for 50 children and was holding Mass each Sunday in the town and at Rhymney.

Around 1844 Fr Carroll was given 4 cottages in Dowlais by a Mr Daniel Fortune. One of the cottages was kept as the priest’s residence and the other three were demolished to make way for a church. Funds for the new church were also partly given by Sir Josiah John Guest of Dowlais Iron Works. J J Scoles was appointed as architect for the church and it was built 1844-7. It was the first catholic church built in the South Wales Valleys. Fr Carroll died of cholera in June 1847 and is buried in the church, the spot not marked.

The mission of Dowlais and Merthyr was divided in 1859 and the Benedictines, who had built Our Lady and St Michael in Abergavenny in 1858-60, took on responsibility for Dowlais. Dom Cuthbert Pippet OSB was at Dowlais 1880-96 and instigated the red brick extension to the church and a school adjacent. His work reorientated the church and added transepts and a polygonal apse at the former W end.

In 1919-20 stone aisles were added to the church to the designs of F R Bates of Newport with the foundation stone laid by Oswald Smith OSB, Abbot of Ampleforth. The builders were Jewell & Son of Newport.

The church remained under the Benedictines until 1930 when responsibility passed to secular diocesan clergy. Restorations were carried out 1996 and the crypt converted to a parish room, marking the 150th anniversary of the building of the church. It survives with a range of good furnishings, including an elaborate high altar and stained glass.

Exterior

Church, the original part in rubble stone with Bath stone dressings, the later additions respectively in red brick with terracotta dressings, and stone. Slate roofs. Gable end of original church survives to present liturgical west, with white-painted rendered W end, and stepped triple lancet (the right light with higher sill). West wall of north aisle also painted and rendered; stone north wall, articulated by buttresses, with shallow arched doorway to NW, and 2-light plate-traceried windows with shallow arched surrounds. Similar window in W wall. The rubble stone S aisle also has similar 2-light window to left of porch, and single lancet to right. Porch has high coped gable with cross finial, shallow outer arch with hoodmould over inset pointed arched doorway, the recess with splayed sides, all in ashlar. Double boarded doors. Small lancet vent in gable.

The addition of 1894 is to a much larger scale. S transept projects a short way and is very broad with basement, 2 bays above and big rose window in corbelled-out gable. A mid pier divides the bays, the basement with cambered-headed window to left and door to right, the floor above with 2 big cambered-headed windows with triple lancet tracery. Moulded brick cornice over basement, corbelling under gable storey, and hoods and surrounds to windows. Inset projection or stair turret in angle to nave with W lancet and hipped roof at right angles to transept roof. Ground floor W door in angle to nave. Another more distinct stair turret on transept E side on brick corbels with three-sided shaft in angle to chancel rising to octagonal turret with pyramid cap. This is in angle to a smaller parallel transeptal chapel with S basement door and first floor lancet. The SE corner is chamfered with corbelling at upper corner and there is stepped brickwork in gable. Chapel E side has 4 blank panels above and 2-light basement window below. Chancel is octagonal on German model with octagonal slate roof and 5 large lancets recessed in stepped brick surrounds with hoodmoulds in bays divided by angle piers, with corbelling under eaves and deep stepped brickwork below sills down to cornice over 2-light basement windows. N transept has similar parallel E chapel but transept gable is simpler, broad with 4 large lancets and mid pier. Transept is flush with N aisle.

Interior

Nave has ashlar 4-bay arcade with round columns and pointed moulded arches, and similar arch of 1894 into N transept. Nave 4-bay scissor-truss roof with wall-posts on corbels and arched bracing. Similar aisle roofs. 1894 addition has double moulded brick arches to transepts sprung from corbels at either side, and with a central polished granite column, with piercing in gable above. Larger similar brick arch to sanctuary, N sprung from column shaft on a crocketted canopy-head. The crossing roof is boarded and 8-sided, the transept roofs are similar to nave roof. Single brick pointed arch off each transept to parallel E chapels. Sanctuary has boarded steep roof with ribs radiating from a pendant. Pointed arch each side into transept chapels and brick diaper patterning over, then apse has marble dado under 5 lancets, with moulded brick surrounds and black marble ringed shafts with carved angels on capitals. Very ornate carved stone and marble high altar in apse has 4 marble columns with moulded caps and bases, moulded shelf behind, and reredos itself is an openwork confection of canopies and crocketted finials on 2 levels, and in 3 bays, the centre feature altogether more lavish, with marble shafting. Numerous carved angels. Further stone columned altar table reset in crossing. Plain gallery across W end of both nave and aisles.

Stained glass: 5 windows in the apse of unknown artist in Baroque style c1900. From left: St Illtyd, St Patrick, St David, and St Benedict (central panel obscured). N aisle 2 pairs of unknown artist in Gothic Revival style c. early C20, first of the Assumption and Ascension, second St Brigid and St John the Evangelist.

Fittings: Stations of the Cross C19 probably by Mayer of Munich (oak frames lost). Alabaster octagonal font on green marble shafts, presented by the Catholic Young Men’s Society in memory of those of the parish killed in WWI. Slate memorial in nave commemorating the men of the parish killed in WWI. Brass memorial in the nave listing Benedictine Fathers of the church 1857-1930. Painting in the S transept ‘I Blant Fy Mhlant’ (To My Children’s Children) by Kevin Sinnott on the occasion of the church’s 150th anniversary.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special historic interest as an early Catholic church with later additions. Also of special interest for its unusual architectural quality with fine surviving fittings, including the very ornate high altar.

External Links

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