The Church Of St Agnes

Home
Back to the church menu page

St agnes
St Agnes started life in very humble beginnings when the vicar the Reverend Williamson he was the vicar of Margam in 1900 he with help from the clergy of St Theodore started a school in the now derelict school premises known as Forge school it had ceased to be a school some two years past and had remained empty until taken over by the Reverend Zaccheus Paynter Williamson, for his Sunday school for local children, this building had been owned at one time by the Margam Tinplate Works, later it was purchased by Messrs Byass & Co; the building was eventually demolished to provide land for the building of the former, Riding School, (the DHS offices in very modern times this building has itself been demolished to make way for housing }also on the site of the Forge works was Ynys Street, Afan Street. Tudor Street, and Edward Street, the original tinplate works had been built in1822 prior to the tinplate works the site had been occupied by the Afan Forge.
By 1903 under the guidance of the Vicar of St Theodore Sunday services began at the school, a Reverend Edwards named the church St. Agnes Mission Church. Miss Emily Charlotte Talbot of Margam Castle, gave to the church £326 to cover the cost of repairs and furnishing, that was a huge sum of money at that period.
But within a very short time due to the congregation growing rapidly it became obvious that the old school was just not big enough, once again Miss Emily Charlotte Talbot of Margam Castle came up with an offer they could not refuse basically she paid the larger cost of building a new church.
Collins and Godfrey of Tewksbury were contracted to build the new and the firm of architect F .R. Kempson of Cardiff drew up the plans,
At the ground breaking stage in 1908 the foundation stone was laid by Lady Eveline Byass, wife of Sir Sidney H Byass, just two years later on the 20th June 1910 the new church was opened it was consecrated by the Right Rev. J. P. Hughes, Bishop of Llandaff, over the next few years the congregation raised their share of the agreed amount which was just short of £2000..

Back to the Top