St John the Baptist, Cardiff
St John the Baptist, Cardiff
St John the Baptist is a Grade I parish church on St John Street in Cardiff city centre, in the Diocese of Llandaff. Other than Cardiff Castle it is the only medieval building in the centre.
- Location
- Cardiff, City of Cardiff
- Country
- Wales
- County
- City of Cardiff
- City / town
- Cardiff
- Address
- St John Street, Cardiff, City of Cardiff, CF10 1GL
- Postcode
- CF10 1GL
- Built
- Mainly later C15; tower c.1490; restored 1889–91
- Architect
- Tower perhaps William Hort; Kempson and Fowler (1889–91 restoration)
- Denomination
- Church in Wales
- Dedication
- John the Baptist
- Diocese
- Llandaff
- Parish
- City Parish of St John the Baptist
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Perpendicular Gothic
- Materials
- Grey limestone ashlar tower with Dundry stone details; Sweldon stone refacing of 1889–91
- Grid reference
- ST 182 764
- Opening hours
- Sunday 10am to 7pm. Monday to Saturday 10am to 3pm.
- Access
- Accessible toilets nearby. Level access to the main areas
Overview
Cadw records a chapel of ease to St Mary’s that is mainly later fifteenth century, with a tower of about 1490 (perhaps by William Hort) said to have been commissioned by Anne, wife of Richard III. The south arcade of the chancel may be late thirteenth century. The medieval plan was a five-bay nave with a two-bay clerestoried chancel, separately gabled chapels, aisles and tower. After early-nineteenth-century and 1853 restorations, Kempson and Fowler in 1889–91 replaced a wooden gallery with outer aisles, lengthened and heightened the chancel, added vestries, and refaced much of the building in Sweldon stone. A two-storey concrete vestry was inserted in the south aisle by George Pace in 1975.
Newman called the pinnacled west tower a magnificent marker: over 40 metres, four stages, grey limestone ashlar with Dundry stone details and a crown of openwork battlements. Stained glass includes Morris & Co work with cartoons by William Morris, Ford Madox Brown and Burne-Jones. The 1894 Father Willis organ holds a Grade I Historic Organ Certificate. The church is listed Grade I as the historic parish church of Cardiff, with an especially fine medieval tower.