Visiting St Paul's Church, Sketty, Swansea, Wales: Landmark by Henry Woodyer, dating from 1849-50

Local indusrialist John Henry Vivian (1785-1855) commissioned architect Henry Woodyer (1816-1896)(1) to design a number of buildings in the Swansea (Welsh: Abertawe), Glamorgan (Welsh: Morgannwg) area of South Wales (Welsh: De Cymru). One the most visible of these is a local landmark in Sketty (Welsh: Sgeti), St Paul's (2), the parish Anglican (3) church.

The orginal St Paul's Church, Sketty, was build from 1849 to 1850. Further work was accomplished on the building in 1907, when extra aisles were added, and again from 1928 to 1929; this later work was the responsibility of Glendenning Moxham.

Executed in stone with strongly Gothic features such as pointed window arches, the building's crowning feature is its massive spire. (Indeed, conspicuous spires were somewhat distinguishing features of not a few of Architect Woodyer's designs for church buildings.)

Within its partly walled enclosure, St Paul's Church, Sketty gives the aura of a quiet, rural setting; in actual fact it is situated near a busy crossroads in the City of Swansea. There is a fine example of a lych gate at the entrance to the churchyard.

Stained glass windows dated from 1856 and c. 1923 respectively.

St. Paul's Church is also situated close to one of the entrances to Singleton Park (Welsh: Parc Singleton).

March 23, 2018

Notes

(1) Architect Woodyer was known as a designer of church and residential buildings in England and Wales in a career which lasted many decades during the Victorian Era; he was also responsible for the New Schools at Eton College.

(2) See also: http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/173/details/st-pauls-church-sketty-swansea

(3) Since 1920, the Anglican church has been disestablished in Wales, and is known as The Church in Wales / Yr Eglwys Yng Nghymru.

Some sourcing: Wikipedia

In Swansea itself, the nearby Singleton Abbey belongs to Swansea University; Sketty Parish Church; Swansea Castle, in the Downtown area, dates from the 12th century; visible remains date from the late 13th or early 14th century; the Guildhall and the Brangwyn Hall form a fine, Neo-Classical and Art Deco complex; Oystermouth Castle, Mumbles, is a ruined Norman structure dating from the 11h century, situated near the scenic Gower Peninsula.

Afan Forest Park, Visitor Centre and South Wales Miners Museum (distance: approx. 27 kilometres) contains many, scenic walks, with copious local information.

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How to get there: United Airlines flies to London Heathrow Airport , from where car rental is available. London Heathrow is 286 kilometres from Swansea. There are also rail (from London Paddington railroad station) and bus links to Swansea. Please note that some facilities may be withdrawn, without notice. You are advised to check with the airline or your travel agent for up to date information.

MJFenn is an independent travel writer based in Ontario, Canada.