Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Church of St Mary
Caerau, Cardiff, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II
- Broad class
- Religious, Ritual and Funerary
- Date of designation
- 8 August 1980
- Locality
- Caerau
- Town
- Cardiff
- Community
- Caerau
- Unitary authority
- Cardiff
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.46779, -3.24664
- Cadw reference
- 13406
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
A small church set in the north-east corner of Caerau Camp Hill Fort on the south-east side of the Community.
History
Present structure said to date from C13. Restored c1885 by John Prichard, Llandaff diocesan architect, who rebuilt the chancel. The vestry was added in c1920. The church is now wholly ruined and fragmentary. Formerly with oval churchyard.
Exterior
The church was not accesssible at resurvey; it is fenced off with access forbidden for safety reasons. It is thus not possible to check the survival of the features described at the time of listing (August 1980). Superficially the church appears to be in a far more damaged and fragmentary state than when it was listed and when it was described by John Newman in c1995.
The ruins of a medieval church. Stone walls, mostly stone rubble; once with slate roofs. West saddleback tower, nave with south porch and north vestry; chancel. Only the tower survives in anything like a complete state.
West tower with battered walls; blocked stone framed west doorway with relieving arch over; small rectangular opening set high in west wall with similar opening also in east wall. A rectangular slit opening set lower in south wall above a further rectangular opening. Small circular belfry opening set high in North wall with stone canopy on corbels over it.
South wall of nave with single light round headed window with sunk spandrels at west end, set close to gabled south porch, the rebuilt front wall of porch of coursed stone with round-headed arch with stone voussoirs; south-east nave window of two cusped ogee lights in square frame. North wall of nave with gabled structure, possibly vestry, to west (not shown on OS map of 1920) lit by a 2-light window of golden stone in its north gable. North-west nave window comprises a cusped single light in grey stone frame. Chancel lit by cusped single light window of golden stone in north wall, by 2-light window in east gable and by damaged 2-light window with broken dripstone and missing mullions in south chancel wall.
Interior
Not available for inspection at resurvey. The church is unroofed and the interior gone.
Reason for designation
This building is now very ruinous, but remains an important medieval site within the ringwork of Caerau Camp.
Nearby in the register
- Caerau CampHillfortunder 1 mi
- Catholic Church of St Francis of AssisiReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Milepost outside No 322Transportunder 1 mi
- Church of the ResurrectionReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.