All Saints, Oystermouth

     Last week's jaunt was to the parish church of All Saints, Oystermouth, one of the communities that make up The Mumbles on the south east tip of Gower. This church has a long history, dating perhaps to the very earliest Middle Ages, and a Roman structure, possibly a villa, stood there in Antiquity. Tempting to see some sort of continuity there.

     However to look at it from some angles you would be forgiven for not believing any of this at all.  From the north and east all that can be really seen is the very large extension - essentially a new church - designed by W L Barnard of Cheltenham and dating from 1915. However the tower, in good plain welsh style, is late Medieval and the s aisle is earlier still.  Except that the south aisle isn't really that at all but the much handled old nave of the church, and the e chapel (older still) is the former chancel. All of this old work is constructed of rubble masonry, grey and black and hoary. Barnard's extension is built of browner quarry faced masonry and limestone dressings, possibly Bath stone, and is somewhat staid for though designed in a full, luxuriant (and English) Perp style that particular masonry finish almost gives the design a hint of muscular High Victorian Gothic, of solid (if not stolid) Victorian Middle Class comfort. Earth bound. If not downright dull.  All that said there some interesting architectural moments on the outside; the gargoyles are on the n aisle rather fine, as is the door to the n vestry. And then there is the contemporary w porch - the least said about that car crash the better.
     The interior continues with the late Victorian common sense and produces something that decidedly lacks the numinous.  The first thing that strikes the visitor is the breadth - the nave is unusually wide, horizontal when one would expect it, being Gothic, to be vertical.  The other features that some would take exception to, the unequal height of the arcades and narrow n aisle I really like and add a little necessary piquancy.  I do find however the interior. which is really quite complex both spatially and historically, lacks integration, perhaps a dose of whitewash would help integrate the whole and add some of the numinous quality that is lacking.  Barnard's details though are rather good, screen and woodwork especially.  The reredos of the High Altar is a rather curious design, sub SSPP, that dates from 1951 and was made by The Faith Craft-Works.

  Actually this visit was not a little unpleasant. I arrived just after a service and was treated with suspicion, if not hostility by a member of the congregation who suspected me of taking photographs for financial gain. I won't be returning.