St Matthew's Church, Abernant is in the Parish of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is one of only a handful of
tin tabernacle
A tin tabernacle, also known as an iron church, is a type of prefabricated ecclesiastical building made from corrugated galvanised iron. They were developed in the mid-19th century, initially in the United Kingdom. Corrugated iron was first u ...
s left in Wales.
The church, in
Abernant, was founded by the congregation of
St Elvan's Church, Aberdare
St Elvan's Church is a Grade II* listed Church in Wales, Anglican church in the centre of the town of Aberdare. It was built in 1851–1852, largely at the instigation of John Griffith (Anglican clergyman), John Griffith, vicar of Aberdare from 1 ...
as a
Christian mission
A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and a ...
, later becoming a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
to St Elvan's. The fledgling congregation initially met in a tent, but in 1888-9 (some sources say 1891), chose to erect a proper building, the entire expense being borne by James Lewis of Plas Draw. The church was probably ordered by post and arrived in a prefabricated state, then was assembled on-site, this being a common practice with these buildings. The church was intended to only be used for around a decade, but in the event, it has remained at the location ever since.
Despite its stark, utilitarian appearance from outside, the church's interior is richly carpeted and the inside of the metal shell is lined with varnished wood. The church has some small though fine stained glass windows. Despite only being a
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, the church can seat 150 people and has a flourishing Sunday school.
The church's font dates from 1827. Before coming to St Matthew's, it belonged to a church in
Port Talbot
Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...
.
[Newman, J. Hughs, S. & Ward, A. ''The Buildings of Glamorgan (Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and West Glamorgan)''. University of Wales Press. 1995. p.134]
References
External links
Archived page. Accessed 29/04/17
Churches completed in 1889
Churches in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Abernant
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