St Mary's Church, Magor

The Church of St Mary stands in the centre of the village of Magor, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was designated a Grade I listed building in 1963.[1] The church is the lead church of the Netherwent Ministry Area, led by Rev. Canon Jeremy Harris, and administers to a population of around 32,000.[2]

St Mary's, Magor
St Mary's, Magor
Map
51°34′44″N 2°49′51″W / 51.5788°N 2.8307°W / 51.5788; -2.8307
LocationMagor, Monmouthshire
CountryWales
DenominationChurch in Wales
Websitemagorministryarea.org.uk
Architecture
Years builtlate 13th century
Administration
DioceseMonmouth
Clergy
Canon(s)Rev. Jeremy Harris

History and architecture edit

It is possible that the church was originally dedicated to Cadwaladr, the last Welsh ruler to call himself King of Britain, who died of the plague in 664 AD.[3] The church was subsequently dedicated to St Leonard, until the mid-nineteenth century restoration, when it was rededicated to St Mary.[2][4]

John Newman, in his 2000 Gwent/Monmouthshire volume of the Pevsner Buildings of Wales series, describes St Mary's as "one of the most ambitious churches in the county, though the ambitions were not all realised."[5] It is in the Decorated style with a prominent, integral, tower.[4] The porch, of the fourteenth/fifteenth centuries, has buttresses which display "ferocious gargoyles and pinnacles."[5]

The interior contains nineteenth-century, stained glass, including The Good Shepherd by Kempe & Co of 1930–31.[5] The churchyard is the burial place of Welsh composer Mansel Thomas (1909–1986).[6]

Next to the church stands The Procurator's House, a sixteenth-century house, now ruined, which belonged to the vicarage of Magor.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ Cadw. "Church of St Mary, Magor with Undy (Grade I) (2928)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b https://netherwent.church/ministry-team/
  3. ^ "St Cadwaladr's Church, Bishton - Netherwent Ministry Area". magorministryarea.org.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "St Mary's Church, Magor (300046)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Newman 2000, p. 373.
  6. ^ Gilmore-James, Terence (26 April 2012). "Thomas, Mansel Treharne (1909-1986), Composer, Conductor, BBC Wales Head of Music". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  7. ^ Cadw. "Magor Mansion (also known as the Procurator's House) (Grade II*) (16064)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

Sources edit