St John the Evangelist Church, Canton is a listed church in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, Wales. It is in the Rectorial Benefice of Canton.
History
The hamlet of Canton was part of the Parish of
Llandaff
Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
, but the population of the area swelled during the early 19th Century as Cardiff industrialised and expanded. By the 1850s, it was considered that the area needed a church of its own. St John's was designed by
John Prichard
John Prichard (6 May 1817 – 13 October 1886) was a Welsh architect in the neo-Gothic style. As diocesan architect of Llandaff, he was involved in the building or restoration of many churches in south Wales.
Personal history
John Prichard wa ...
and
John Pollard Seddon
John Pollard Seddon FRIBA (19 September 1827 – 1 February 1906) was a British architect, working largely on churches.
His father was a cabinetmaker, and his brother Thomas Seddon (1821–1856) a landscape painter. Born in London, he was educa ...
. The church was built in stages over a period of nearly 50 years; the nave was built first in 1854–5, followed by the aisles in 1858–9. Construction then slowed and the steeple and chancel were not added until 1868–70. G.E. Haliday modified the spire and added a west bay in 1902. Additional minor alterations were carried out in the 1950s. The church's first minister was Vincent Saulez, who also played a part in the founding of
St Paul's Church, Grangetown. The church was designated as a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in 1975.
The church has a triple-gabled
reredos, an octagonal Victorian
baptismal font and much stained glass of various ages (the most recent from 1981).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John the Evangelist Church, Cardiff
Grade II listed churches in Cardiff
Churches completed in 1902
Canton
Canton