Church of St Mary, Castle (Castell), Swansea

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6191 / 51°37'8"N

Longitude: -3.9428 / 3°56'33"W

OS Eastings: 265596

OS Northings: 192926

OS Grid: SS655929

Mapcode National: GBR WS2.RN

Mapcode Global: VH4K9.LKZP

Plus Code: 9C3RJ394+JV

Entry Name: Church of St Mary

Listing Date: 22 April 1952

Last Amended: 30 March 1987

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 11632

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: St Mary's Church

ID on this website: 300011632

County: Swansea

Community: Castle (Castell)

Community: Castle

Built-Up Area: Swansea

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Church building Parish

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History

Originally a medieval church; nave rebuilt 1739 by Thomas Woodward of Worcester; whole church rebuilt 1895-9 by Sir A Blomfield of London. Fabric burnt out 1941 and largely rebuilt 1954-9 by Leslie T Moore and Sir Percy Thomas.

Exterior

Plan form of apsidal Lady Chapel with wide ambulatory and vestries linked back to transepts, tall chancel and nave with aisles, N and S porches; tall S tower attached to S transept. Snecked rubble, freestone dressings, slate roofs (copper to aisles); gable parapets with cross finials, corner buttresses (absent to Lady Chapel). 5-light E window under hoodmould, flanked by turrets, simple chamfered lancets below (blind E wall), plate tracery to chancel, Perp windows to N transept, paired lancets between pilaster buttresses to nave. Entrance under S tower with battlemented parapets, SW stair; 2 light bell-openings, nook shafts to pointed doorway. Gabled S porch (foundation stone dated 1896) with Christ in mandorla and foliage paterae over arched entrance with glazed fanlight. 4 lancets to plain W gable, Christ with 4 Evangelist symbols to tympanum of triple-order W door.

Interior

Apsidal E chapel with low ribbed ceiling, diagonal strainer arches over angles. Arched treatment to E lancets, heavy stringcourse with paterae, 3-bay arcade below; screens to E bays of arcades, elaborate stepped Geometric sedilia. Organ blocking S transept arch, screen to N; no chancel screen. Open timber roof with collar beam and hammerbeams on wall-head, arched braces. 6-bay nave with collar and tie-beam roof, arched braces, round columns, chamfered arcades; transverse arches to aisles.

Older furnishings include a damaged C14 effigy of a lady in N transept, a brass (ca 1510) of knight and lady N side of altar.

External Links

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

Other nearby listed buildings

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British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Mary

A Grade II Listed Building in Castle (Castell), Swansea