St Anne's Church, Roath

St Anne's Church, Roath is a disused church on the corner of Snipe Street and Croft Street, in Roath, Cardiff, Wales. It closed in 2015 after 128 years of worship.

St Anne's, Roath
The disused church in 2018
51.4900°N 3.1639°W / 51.4900; -3.1639
DenominationChurch in Wales
History
StatusDefunct
Founded1872
DedicationSt Anne
ConsecratedSeptember 1887
Architecture
Functional statusDaughter church
Heritage designationII
Designated13 February 1992
Architect(s)Joseph Arthur Reeve
StyleNeo-Gothic
Groundbreaking1886
Completed1887
Closed24 December 2015
Specifications
Capacity350
Number of spires1
Materialsstone
Administration
ParishRoath
DioceseLlandaff

History

The church began in 1872 when the vicar of Roath, Reverend Puller, founded a school chapel, St Clement's, there. At the time, the district's population had grown from 300 to 9000 in twenty years, and the existing places of worship were no longer adequate. The founding stone of the present church was laid in 1886. The church was designed by J. A. Reeve, a pupil of William Burges. Reeve's original design was displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1887, but it proved unrealistically elaborate,[1] and only the chancel and spire were built as intended, with the nave being of a plainer, more modest design than the original plans. Even so, the church's opening ceremony was attended by 500 people, who crowded into a space designed for 350. The north aisle was installed in 1891.[2]

In 1904-5 the church briefly operated a pub called The Moon and Stars located across the street. This project ceased when the church's vicar departed.

The south aisle was not built until 1937. In 1991, the half and single bay at the western end of the church were partitioned off to form a church hall.

Decline & Closure

St Anne's was never an affluent church. The area was not well-heeled, and even in the early years, there was competition from other churches in the district (most of which did not last as long). In 2000, a much-needed grant from the Lottery Heritage Fund was secured to repair the deteriorating roof, but the church continued to deteriorate in the following years. The adjoining church school closed in 2011 after 132 years, having only twenty pupils by this time.[3] In 2015, the church's congregation had dwindled to around 12 and when it was learnt that the church required £250,000 worth of repairs, the decision was taken to close. The last service was held on Christmas Eve 2015.[4]

References
  1. Rose, J (2013). Cardiff Churches through Time. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 9781445610924.
  2. "Church of St Anne, Plasnewydd", British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  3. BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  4. "Cardiff church to close on Christmas Eve after 128 years in heart of community", Wales Online, 22 December 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
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