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

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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

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  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

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