History

Catholic Church originally built 1792-3, extended in 1838 and 1870-1. One of the earliest catholic churches to be built in Britain after such buildings were first legally permitted following the Catholic Relief Act of 1778, and the oldest church in the Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff.

Prior to that, mass was being said in an upper room of The Robin Hood Inn (qv Monnow Street), and the landlord, Michael Watkins, was one of the petitioners for the building of a public chapel. Permission was granted by local magistrates, on the conditions imposed by the Act – that the building should not have a tower or spire and should not be prominent in public views. A small church (the existing central 3 bays) was built, hidden behind cottages on St Mary’s Street in 1792-3. The architect is said to have been Mr Millward of Gloucester, and the builder was Michael Watkins. This church was extended in 1838 by the Rev. Thomas Burgess, later the second Bishop of Clifton, by the addition of 2 bays at the east end forming a sacristy with burial vault, and a staircase to an upper room and galleries to either side of the chancel. It was altered again 1870-1 under the next priest, the Rev. Thomas Burgess Abbot, nephew of the earlier Burgess. He oversaw the demolition of the street front cottages, extension of the nave by 2 bays towards the street and the construction of the red sandstone tower. These later alterations were carried out to the designs of Benjamin Bucknall and the builders were Messrs Levick and Sketch. A school was also constructed to the rear but this does not survive.

A number of internal changes were made in the later C19, including the addition of a confessional donated by the Royal Monmouthshire Militia (1875), who also donated a brass sanctuary lamp (1885), and retiling of the baptistry (1888). The present font was probably installed at the same time. The sanctuary was enriched in the 1890s, including embellishment of the reredos by G Willis Pryce (now lost). Major renovations were carried out 1923 at a cost of £2,000 and in 1953 a painting of The Presentation in the Temple by EG Gainsford (1854) above the high altar was replaced by a crucifix. In 1957 a stone altar replaced an earlier wooden altar and reredos. Redecorations were carried out in 1961 with a new timber floor replacing raised pew platforms and tiled alleys. In the late 1960s a new forward altar was installed in the sanctuary, which was carpeted and the tabernacle moved to an alcove. The church retains several relics of St John Kemble and is a place of pilgrimage.

Exterior

Street elevation of coursed red sandstone rubble with Bath stone dressings and Welsh slate roofs. Plain Gothic style of a North Italian influence. Three bay front with central entrance set forward in the base of the tower. The double plank doors are recessed within a pointed Venetian Gothic arch with attached half-columns with stiff-leaf capitals. The door is flanked by 2-light windows in ashlar frames, dripmoulds over. Above the door is a window of paired tall lancets. Above this the projecting tower is supported on paired pointed arches. Open bell stage with paired openings with central colonette of Lombardic type facing in each direction, two bells. Dentil cornice, bell-cast rectangular spire, coped gable on either side of the tower.

The side elevations are rendered, but clearly show the two builds with two windows of 1871 at the street end and three of 1793 to the centre, and further part of 1838 to the rear of 2 bays Continuous roofline, stepped down to rear. The Bucknall (1871) windows are 2-light with cinquefoil heads, the earlier ones are pointed headed sashes, 1838 windows are pointed sashes with intersecting tracery. East (liturgical) elevation, pebble-dashed with 2 windows, stepped gable and gablet cross.

Interior

The interior is very plain with a corniced ceiling and a triple sanctuary arch, now a small apse flanked by doors, and with galleries presumably from the 1838 work, and staircase to rear, with square balusters, turned newels and swept handrail from the same period. Unusual font in baptistery with a serpent in alabaster, probably of 1888. The church also contains relics of St John Kemble of Welsh Newton, who was executed at Hereford in 1679, and canonised in 1970 as one of the forty martyrs of England and Wales, these include a C16 oak table altar used by Kemble at Pembridge Castle. Nearby timber confessionals 1875 Lady altar in gallery over the sanctuary with C17 oak chest and C19 Gothic reredos.

Stained glass: sanctuary S Virgin and Child c1840 from the Catholic chapel of Coedanghred (Mons., dem. 1924. See Buildings of Wales, Newman, p399); nave S composite incorporating angels, cherubs and putti, of early C19 character, possibly also from Coedanghred, and nave N the Incredulity of St Thomas, late C19, by John Hardman & co.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special architectural and historic interest as the earliest post-reformation Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Cardiff retaining original character and with later additions that illustrate the changing status of Catholicism during the nineteenth century. Its prominent C19 frontage is a distinctive element in the historic townscape of Monmouth. Historical associations with St John Kemble.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• St Mary's Roman Catholic Church at Wikipedia
• St Mary's Roman Catholic Church official website
• Wikidata Q609099

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair