St Theodore's Church, Port Talbot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Theodore's Church |
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| Denomination | Church in Wales |
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| Dedication | Theodore of Tarsus |
The Church of St Theodore is a beautiful and important church in Port Talbot, Wales. It is a parish church, which means it serves the local community. The church is part of the Church in Wales, a Christian church in Wales. You can find it on the A48 road, right across from Maes-y-Cwrt Terrace. It's also next to the Talbot Memorial Park.
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St Theodore's Church: A Special Place
Who Built This Church?
A famous architect named John Loughborough Pearson designed St Theodore's Church. It's the biggest church he ever designed in Wales! A kind lady named Miss Emily Charlotte Talbot helped pay for it. She was a generous person who lived nearby at Margam Castle.
Miss Talbot wanted to build the church to remember her brother, Theodore Mansel Talbot. He passed away too soon in 1876. Because of his death, Emily inherited her family's money. This allowed her to help fund the church. St Theodore's Church took the place of an older, smaller church called Holy Cross Church.
What Does It Look Like?
The church is built in a style called Early English style. This is a type of Gothic architecture that was popular a long time ago. Most of the church is made from a light-colored stone called Bath stone. The pulpit, which is where the minister speaks, is made from Portland stone.
Inside the church, there's a special memorial. It remembers Lt Rupert Price Hallowes, who lived in Port Talbot. He was a brave soldier who won the Victoria Cross, a very important award for courage. Sadly, he died in battle in 1915.
Music and Art Inside
The church has a large organ that was put in before the church officially opened in August 1897. A man named Charles Martin from Oxford built it. This organ was his biggest and last project. It cost more than £800, which was a lot of money back then! People in the community helped pay for it.
In the year 2000, the organ was completely fixed up. The church itself also had a big makeover at the same time.
Making It Shine Again
During the restoration project, all the stained glass windows in the church were taken out and replaced. Four of these beautiful windows were made by a company called Clayton and Bell. The old windows were very dirty from pollution caused by local factories. They were so dirty that they couldn't be cleaned, so new ones were put in.
The stone walls of the church were also cleaned. A new lighting system was installed to make the church brighter. Even the old iron railings outside the church were repaired. The Sanctus Bell, a special bell that rings during services, was put back up after being fixed. It had been taken down because its bell tower was unsafe.
