St. Elvan's Church, Aberdare

Hi folks,

Today we visited this church with a 180 foot spire which was built in 1852 and called "The Cathedral of the Valleys".

St Elvan was a monk born in Brittany, now modern France and buried in Glastonbury in England.

It was built with local people raising funds for the church, the building was designed to accommodate 800 congregation for had far more than that.

Behind the screen was this wonderful window.

The ceilings' highly decorated roof vaultings.

The "Captains' of Industry" window to signify the rise and growth of the town with the rise of the coal and steel industry and its associated trades. 

The church was built to accommodate the rise in the congregation due to the industrial revolution and extended several times.

Window for the local industrial gentry who raised the money to build it is shown below.

The Parish Banner

First World War Memorial with the names of the dead of the area.

Below another view, perhaps a better idea of the 180 foot spire.  In 1801 the scattered community numbered 1,486 but by 1861 it stood at 32,299, the population had grown by over 30,000 due to the industrial boom.

We had very little time on our visit to investigate the history of the church and town but I hope I have given you food for thought.

Thanks for looking luv, Mike