Church of St Peter

Cadw's description

Location

On low-lying ground by the Cadoxton River a short distance N of the village centre.

History

Designed by J Coates Carter, the notable Glamorgan architect, and built after his death in 1929-30, omitting the originally planned tower and N aisle. Much of the masonry was re-used from the Cyfarthfa ironworks. Built to serve the growing community of Dinas Powys whose earlier parish church is in the separate hamlet of St Andrew's Major, its immediate predecessor being an 'iron church' in Highwalls Road.

Exterior

Inter-War church in a simple late medieval style. Built of coursed yellow stone with grey tooled ashlar dressings; roof of small slates with sprocketed and slightly swept eaves. Main windows, at E and W, have Perpendicular-style tracery, side windows are square headed with cusped lights divided by mullions and close narrow hoodmoulds, slit openings in apexes. Plan of nave, wide but shallow S porch, S aisle, chancel, N vestry. Porch is tall, 2-storeyed and steeply gabled with a 3-light window with hoodmould above a wide 2-ordered pointed-arched chamfered doorway; iron outer gates; battered plinth. Inside is a flat beamed timber ceiling, slit side windows and the main pointed arched chamfered and stopped S doorway, W doorway probably for planned tower. The 3 aisle windows are of 4-lights, each pair divided by a mullion. Long single cusped SE light. Chancel is only marginally shorter than the nave. The three S windows have triple lights; arched basement doorway at SE. 3-light Perpendicular E windows under a Tudor-arched hood. To N a second entrance flanked by tall stack in the double cross-gabled vestry wing. W window similar Perpendicular style with pointed-arched chamfered and stopped doorway.

Interior

Interior is of unrendered dressed stone blocks. 4-bay S aisle has plain wide pointed arches with square piers and simple chamfered caps. Chancel arch is also wide and pointed with no caps. Open timber roof of Columbian pine with 4 trusses of tie-beam, collar and queen posts to nave; 2 similar lower to chancel; deep crenellated wallplate. Furnishings throughout of light oak. Screen to side chapel at SE. At W a baptistry arched recess with low font on a thick round stem and deep plinth, given by Sunday School scholars in 1936. 3 steps up to chancel, low chancel screen with returns incorporating clergy seat, 3 rows of choir stalls, 1 step up to sanctuary and 3 to altar; organ in recess N and adjacent grid door to vestry.

Reason for designation

Listed for its robust architectural interest and by a prominent Glamorgan architect.