The Parish of Porth Newydd
Centenary
The Church of St. John the Evangelist - 1889 - 1989
The
following is a re-print of the booklet printed for the Centenary of the church
of St. John, Cymmer, Porth in 1989. Thanks is given to Glyn Thomas
for compiling the booklet and Dawn Surrey, Peoples Church Warden who typed
up this booklet so it could have an online presence.
This History of the Church of St John the Evangelist is dedicated to the many Christians of The Parish of Porth Newydd, who willingly gave their time and talents in the service of the Lord over the last one hundred years or so.
The Centenary booklet was first published June 1989 and revised in October 1989 and republished on the internet June 2005.
INDEX
THE CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
REV WILLIAM THOMAS L.D. 1894-1913
REV DANIEL MARKS M.A. 1914-1928
REV THOMAS JONES M.A. 1928-1937
REV JOHN ALLEN JEFFREYS-JONES B.A. 1937-58
REV MARTIN MARKER BOWEN M.A. 1959-1967
REV DENNIS BUTLER BEVAN B.A. 1967-1979
REV PHILIP GREGORY MORRIS B.A., M.Phil. 1980-88
REV. PETER MICHAEL LEONARD B.Sc., Dip. T.P.,M.R.T.P.I. 1988 TO DATE
One Hundred Years! It is a long time and yet not so very long. Many of our older parishioners have memories stretching back almost as far. The diocese of Llandaff looks back to the year 500 for its roots and the Church of Christ back to the Apostles and our Lord Jesus Christ. One hundred years is not so long, and yet it this history reminds us of that the Church of St John the evangelist has been in this part of the Rhondda for as long as there have been people and houses here on any large scale. The church and the community have grown together and been through many experiences. Mr Glyn Thomas has done the parish and posterity a good service in searching diligently among the archives of the parish to produce this History. From the pages of Service Register, Minute book and Magazine he has pieced together a story of growth and giving, of service and sacrifice, of treat and time of trial. We also hear of decline and indifference, of new life and expectancy. All this to a muted background of war and economic growth and decline.
The Rhondda community has been through much. Community and Church stand together looking forward into the next 100 years. There is much more to do, we do not intend to retire!
Peter Leonard
The rural population of the Rhondda in the early nineteenth century was likely to have been predominantly Anglican in their religious affiliation, and those living in the area of Cymmer and Porth would need to travel to either Llanwonno, Ystradyfodwg or Llantrisant Parish Churches to worship, entailing long and hazardous journeys.
Visitors
to the Rhondda at this time were reported to be enraptured by the valley's
quiet beauty with its mountains, woodlands and meadows; however, had they
returned some 50 years later, they would have seen the early effects of industrialisation
in the Lower Rhondda. After the initial exploitation of Cymmer Level and Cymmer
Old Pit, the Cymmer New Pit was sunk in 1855 by George Insole and his son
to satisfy the demand for its high quality coking coal. To accommodate the
increasing immigrant manpower required for these undertakings, some miners'
cottages had been constructed from Cymmer Bridge (Porth Square) along the
lower part of the mountain road to Llantrisant.
An Ordnance Survey Map dated 1877 shows that houses had been built along the bottom part of High Street to just beyond the Rhondda Hotel with some in the vicinity of the Junior School and Rickards Arms. School Street, along with the National School had also been built, but Glynfach was almost entirely undeveloped, apart from the Bedw, the New Inn and some properties on each side of the short hill alongside Cymmer Chapel Cemetery. Whilst there is no evidence of proposed development in Glynfach at this time, it can be seen that a considerable building programme was envisaged along the bottom of the valley from Station Street to the far end of Britannia.
However, in 1877 sinking to the Steam Coal Seams at Cymmer Colliery had been successfully completed and with the opening of other collieries in the locality, urban development quickly gathered momentum so that by the late eighties, houses had been completed along Glynfach Road, Belmont Terrace, higher up along High Street, and the Company Houses built by Insoles.
In 1857 Mr Evan Morgan on Tynycymmer sold approximately 900 square yards of land opposite School Street for £10 to the Minister of Churchwardens of the Parish of Llantrisant for the purpose of building a school. In 1859 the voluntary organisation "The National Society for Schools", opened the Cymmer National School on this site for the express purpose of teaching the doctrines of the Church of England, in addition to the usual secular subjects. Its first and only Master was Timothy T Davies who had previously held a similar post at Llantrisant.
Shortly afterwards, Church services were started in the school room by the Rev E Morgan who was the vicar of Llantrisant. This served as a place of worship for the districts of Ynyshir, Dinas, and Trehafod as well as Cymmer and Porth and was known as Cymmer Church. The first available official record is contained in a Service Register showing that at 11.00am on Sunday the 26th September 1886, Rev John Nathan Evans, a Curate from the Parish of Llantrisant, held a service in the English Language; the text of his sermon being "Upon this Rock". This was followed by 6.00pm Evensong in Welsh and then on Thursday evenings services were conducted in English and Welsh on alternate weeks. Celebration of the Holy Communion was first recorded on the 14th November 1887, when there were 9 Communicants at the English Service and 18 in the Welsh service.
THE CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
The Rev J Powell Jones had succeeded Rev E Morgan as Vicar of Llantrisant, and during his incumbeny, a Committee was formed early in 1874 to consider the question of building a Church at Cymmer. It was unanimously decided that this should be done, the movement having the generous support of the Insole family. Difficulties arose on the question of finding a suitable site for the Church, with the result that the project of building a new Church was considerably delayed. In 1887 the site difficulty for a Church at Cymmer was resolved by the offer of some 2000 square yards of land on the Bedw Estate by the Rev Robert Lynch Blosse and Mt Glyn Homfray of Penllyn Castle.
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Image courtesy of The Trustees
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Palace Library
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The site of the new Church had a commanding view across the
valley, the area to the south-east was still meadowland and not yet developed.
The foundation stone was laid by the Archdeacon of Llandaff on the 14th June
1888 and the new Church completed within twelve months. The Consecration of
the Church of St john the Evangelist was carried out by the Lord Bishop of
Llandaff, The Right Rev Richard Lewis, on the 5th June 1889; the text of his
sermon being "Lift Up Your Head". Unfortunately, there is no information
available on the cost of the construction of St John's, but it would appear
that it was financed by a Building Fund from "Cymmer Church", support
from Insole family and other unknown sources.
Rev J N Evans continued to officiate at St John's until 1890, following a
similar patters of English and Welsh Services to those held at the "Cymmer
Church". Thereafter, various clergymen were in attendance; the Service
Registers show that on the Sunday after Ascension in 1891, there were approximately
100 people at the 11.00am English Service and between 80 and 90 at Evensong
in Welsh.
The Church remained in the Parish of Llantrisant until the 2nd February 1894
when an "instrument of Agreement and Surrender" came into effect
to form the new Parish of Cymmer and Porth from portions of the Parishes of
Llantrisant and Llanwonno. The Parish included St Paul's Porth, with St John's
as the Parish Church, so that on the appointment of the first incumbent, he
would have authority over both Churches.
REV WILLIAM THOMAS L.D. 1894-1913
The first incumbent of St John the Evangelist, Rev W Thomas, was Instituted on the 6th May 1894 by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff. On his arrival in the Parish, the Vicar and his family were accommodated in a house at the top of Cymmer Hill until the Vicarage at the end of St John's Street was built in 1897 at the cost of £1838 11s 8d.
Although a fund had been established some time earlier, the Church Organ had not been built at the time of the Induction, and, of course, the Church contained none of the beautiful artefacts that present day congregations enjoy and take for granted. The magnificent pipe organ was eventually dedicated by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff, on the 2nd September 2895, and on the 17th May 1898, an Organ Recital was given by Professor Mountford of Pontypridd. It is interesting to note that in 1904 the appointed 'Organ Blower' was paid the princely sum of 9d per Sunday, this to include practice nights.
A regular familiar pattern of services quickly emerged after Rev Thomas Induction, and it is apparent that Welsh services in St John's were held only on special occasions e.g. St David's Day and Harvest Festivals. After Welsh services had been discontinued at St John's, they were held in the Schoolroom until ST James (St Iago) Welsh Iron Mission Room was erected and Licensed in the year 1902. It was built on ground adjacent to the National School, which had also been purchased from Evan Morgan of Tynycymmer in 1862. It appears that the cessation of Welsh services at St John's was resented by Welsh speaking churchgoers; however, the new Welsh Church prospered with a hard working, devoted band of worshippers who set up a fund to build a more permanent Church on land now occupied by the Dan-y-Mynydd Home.
Meanwhile, by the turn of the century with the building of most of the now familiar terraced houses in Glynfach, and further building throughout Porth and the surrounding districts, the congregation at St John's had increased to the point where it was regularly in the order of 100 for Mattins and 200 for Evensong. Of course, for special occasions, such as Harvest Festivals etc., the Church was packed to capacity of between 450 to 500. The following note was made in the Service Register for Queen Victoria's Memorial Service on February 2nd 1901 - "Present in Uniform, were the Cymmer Colliery Brass Band, Police Force, Porth Fire Brigade and Church Lads Brigade - The Church was crowded". That isn't to say the Vicar was entirely satisfied with attendances, because on all Saints Day on November 1st 1902 he recorded the comment - "The Rhondda Valley is sadly in need of a "Wholesome Public Opinion anet (concerning about) the duty and privilege of Morning Worship". Again, when the weather was excessively wet, cryptic comments were made about low attendance; but when it is considered that the pavement in front of the church along Glynfach Road was only laid in 1904 after pressure on the Rhondda Urban District Council, there may have been some excuse for not braving the elements.
In 1906 the vicar travelled to London to give evidence before the Royal Commission on the Church in Wales, and some time later the following resolution was minuted at a Vestry - "This Vestry protests against the proposed Disestablishment and Disendowment of the Church in Wales and we pledge ourselves to the unflinching opposition to the proposal of the Government."
To meet the spiritual needs of the growing population in the district of Llwyncelyn, St Luke's Iron Mission Room was erected on a site provided by Capt. DeWinton, and Licensed for Worship in the year 1907, becoming an addition to the three Churches within the Parish of Cymmer and Porth.
An addition to the inside of St John's Church in 1907m was the Brass Eagle Lectern given by George F. Insole Esq, in Memory of his Father.
Externally, there were improvements as follows:-
1.
In 1904 it was found necessary to raise the front side boundary walls to a
height of 6 feet, and erect a dwarf railings on the front wall, the work was
completed in 1907.
2. In 1908, Mr Thos. Griffiths of Maesgwyn, Manager of Cymmer Colliery, arranged
for the grounds of St John's to be landscaped, to a design prepared by Mr
Treseder (Nurseryman) Cardiff.
In the May 1907 Magazine there was a long article detailing the deficiencies of the heating system which had been incorporated into the Church when built. It consisted of two long channels, one in the centre aisle, the other at the front of the right hand side of the nave. Inside each of them was a solid fuel stove which was lit as required for services. The channel was covered with a cast iron grill which allowed the hot air and (presumably the fumes) to rise up to heat the Church. A short extract from the article in the Magazine reads - "Another very desirable improvement to St John's would be an installation of a new Heating Apparatus. Our present system of heating the Church is laborious and very unsatisfactory. People are constantly complaining to us of the Church being frightfully cold in the depth of winter, and we cannot honestly venture to contradict them when they do complain". After much deliberation, it was agreed at a meeting on November 23rd 1909, that a new central heating apparatus should be installed immediately. This apparatus incorporated the familiar pipe-work that was to be so conspicuous in the Church for many years and was heated by a solid fuel boiler in the cellar.
Since St John's opened in 1989, the Schoolroom had been used for Sunday-school classes, but it became apparent that with the rapid increase in the numbers attending, there was need for and extension. During 1909 a special Church Council meeting was convened to consider points connected with the proposal for a large building, incorporating a Stage across the whole of its width. One of the Church Officers persuaded Mr. Griffiths, the Manager of Cymmer Colliery, to ask the Owners to supply and deliver - it was agreed. It is believed that much of the building work was carried out by voluntary labour. The extension, more familiarly known as St John's Hall, was built at right-angles to the Schoolroom (Lesser Hall) and was thought to hold in excess of 500 people. In the year to Easter 1910, there was an average attendance of 215 children at Sunday school, which suggests that on some Sundays there were well over this number of children present.
In
1909, it was decided to put up a screen at the front of the Chancel in memory
of James Henry Insole Esq., and William Henry Lewis Esq., the money to be
raised by the Sides men making collection. The Screen, known as the Insole
Screen, was dedicated by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff on 27th January 1910.
After officiating at his last service on the 10th August 1913,
the Parish was saddened by the death of Rev Wm Thomas in September; he was
buried on the 13th September 1913. At a special Vestry meeting held on the
26th January 1914, it was decided that a Reredos would be erected in St John's
Church in Memory of the late Wm Thomas, which was to be financed by subscriptions
from members of all four Churches in the Parish. During his incumbency at
St John's the Church had grown to the extent that between 1894 and 1913, the
number of Waster Communicants had increased form 80 to 179 and he had encouraged
the formation of numerous organisations who had worked with him for the benefit
of the Parish. 
The
Reredos which was the work of Messrs George Hammer as Co Ltd of London at
a cost of £150, was officially described as "A richly carved Oak
Redros with painted Centre Panel, entitled 'The Last Supper' (a copy of the
celebrated painting by Leonardo da Vinci) under a carved canopy with carved
panellings." The Lord Bishop of Llandaff dedicated the Reredos at a United
Parochial Service on the 12th November 1914. In the course of his remarks,
the Bishop alluded in sympathetic and admiring terms to the great work done
by the late Vicar during his vicariate, and paid high tribute to his personal
worth and lovable character.
REV
DANIEL MARKS M.A. 1914-1928
Rev Wm. Thomas was succeeded by Rev D Mark, previously Chaplain to the Cardiff Union and Assistant Curate of all Saints, Cardiff. The Induction Service was held at St John's Church on the 10th February 1914 and Archdeacon Buckley of Llandaff performed the ceremony.
The new vicar and his family had barely settled in the Vicarage, when the Great War with all its ferocity and inhumanity, started in August 1914. In the Parish Magazine later in the year, Rev D Marks made these comments. "In the course of events our own men have been placed in the fighting line much sooner than we would have thought would be the case. Already many of them had met their fate, and out only consolation is that they have sustained the highest traditions of the British Army by their dauntless spirit and quenchless enthusiasm in the field. At the same time while we glory in their valour, the sad fact is brought home to us, that we have not as a nation or Church realised as we ought the gravity of the situation…"
Much has been said of the excitement and joy Church children
of this era derived from the Annual Sunday School Treat, and in the Magazine
for 1915 it is described in graphic terms which are for too lengthy to repeat
in full. The Sunday School children from St John's and St James assembled
in the vicinity of St John's Hall and accompanied by Cymmer Colliery Brass
Band, marched down Cymmer hill with banners flying, and thence to the top
of North Road. At that point the procession was augmented by St Paul's children
and similarly at the Pictorium where St Luke's joined in; the magazine 
article
then continued "…over the Bridge, through Pontypridd Road to Hannah
Street. What a fine show of strength for the Church, all One Body, One Church,
One Faith, One Lord; the whole length of the street to the number of 900,
exclusive of tiny tots; these were accommodated in the vehicles kindly lent
for the occasion, for which we are deeply grateful to the various generous
owners. Following upon this, came the 'tea' at the different Sunday Schools
of the Parish, where willing hands were taxed to their utmost for some time
to satisfy very hungry mouths. Then to Caemawr Field for the Games and the
Sports with Cymmer Band playing form 6pm to 9pm. The prizes having been distributed,
each scholar receiving a bag of sweets and an orange, and we wended our way
homeward having had a most enjoyable time".
In the early years of the War, the church contributed 15 shillings (75 pence) per week to help Belgian Refugees in the neighbourhood. Throughout the War, there were various fund-raising efforts to help alleviate the sufferings of the troops, and the women of the Church played their part by making a variety of woollen items to be sent to the Front. There was concern too for the plight of men who had been captured in the conflict, as is evidenced by the comment at the Annual Vestry Meeting in 1918, "Concern is expressed of the urgent necessity of our Starving Prisoners; and after discussion, it was agreed that the Churches be invited to elect representatives to attend a meeting to further the project". Everyone greeted the Armistice with relief and great joy, and on the 17th November 1918, a Thanksgiving Day Service on Cessation of Hostilities was help at St John's.
The Financial position of the Church at the end of the War was fairly sound, but there still remained a debt of some £550 on the Church Hall account, Insole Bros. offered to help by providing £150, if the Church could raise £400 by their own efforts; this was achieved and the debt duly cleared.
The year 1920 had considerable impact on the administration
of the Parish. For many years strenuous efforts had been made by the officers
and members of St Paul's to have a reorganisation of Parish Boundaries to
allow its separation from the Parish of Cymmer and Porth. In March 1920 this
desire was realised and the Parish of St Paul's created.
The other momentous event in 1920 was the coming into effect from the 1st
March of the Act of Disestablishment and Disendowment of the Church in Wales.
The passing of this Act was contrary to the wishes of the Parish, clearly
declared in a Vestry meeting some years earlier. One outcome of the Act was
the introduction of Parochial Church Councils, the first for this Parish were
elected in the 1920 Vestry along with various Triennial Elections.
As would be expected, there was considerable discussion on the most appropriate way to remember and honour the Fallen of the Great War 1914/1918. Various alternatives were considered and it was ultimately agreed that the then Choir Vestry in the South Side of the East End of St John's would be converted into a Memorial Chapel with a stained glass window. The furniture required would consist of the under mentioned items with an approximate cost of £250. In the event, most of the items were donated by parishioners or Church Organisations and did not represent a drain on the Church's resources.
ITEM OF FURNITURE ETC DONATED BY £.s.d.
Oak Altar Mothers Union 24.0.0
Super Altar in Oak 3.5.0
Brass Cross Mr Octavius Thomas
Altar Candlesticks Mr & Mrs Thorne
Flower Vases for Altar Mr A J Jenkins
Credence Table in Oak Friends
Flooring for Altar 7 Altar Rail Mr Harry Cooper
Reading Desk Mrs G Ireland 10.0.0
Linoleum and Felting 10.0.0
Sanctuary Carpet and matting Mr & Mrs T J Williams
35 Chairs (approx 9 shilling each)
Linen Altar Cloth Mrs Thompson
Hassocks and Kneelers Vicar and Mrs Marks
Altar Service Book Mrs C Evans
Altar Book Stand Mr and Mrs Clark
2 Lace Super-Frontals Miss Pinkney & Miss Thomas
The
Chapel was beautifully decorated by a Church Member - carried out in royal
blue with black stencilling and the illuminated text over the altar above
the window - "Thou Art the King of Glory". The stained glass window
was the gift of the Men's guild (C.E.M.S.) and the subject of it is The Crucifixion
on one panel, and on the other the Roman centurion as hr exclaimed "Truly
this was the son of God". The War Memorial Dedication Service was held
on Thursday the 23rd March 1922 at 4.15pm. It proved extremely impressive
and the address given by the Lord Bishop, in which the self sacrifice and
devotion of our men was specially alluded to, moved the congregation almost
to tears. A feature of the simple service was the unveiling of the stained
glass window by Mrs WM Williams of Miskin Manor. Following the dedication
Prayer, in which the names of the fallen were read, the "Dead March"
in Saul was played by the Organist during which six of our Ex-Servicemen as
a Guard of Honour came up the aisle in solemn procession and took up their
places in the Chancel whilst a bugler played the Last Post. To complete the
furnishing of the Memorial Chapel, a brass tablet inscribed with the names
of all the Fallen was given by Mr J H Matthias, Tynycymmer Hall, in Memory
of his Son, Lieut. John Edmund Matthias - it was dedicated on the 29th April
1923. The Memorial Chapel has since been revered by successive generations
of worshippers, and is indeed a Holy Place where one can make his peace with
the Lord and pay homage to departed loved ones. It is to be hoped that in
this, our hundredth year, we can raise funds by generous donation, to properly
honour the Fallen of the Second World War and to refurbish the Chapel to its
former glory.
In the summer of 1921, after many enjoyable years, the Traditional Annual Treat for the Sunday School children was replaced by an outing to Barry Island. To the generations of children brought up between 1921 and the outbreak of was in 1939, these outings represented the highlight of the summer, and for weeks before it tool place, was anticipated with mounting excitement and anxiety over weather prospects. For many children it represented their only opportunity to visit the seaside, and it is certain that they look back on those days with the fondest affection, despite the capricious nature of the weather.
The population of the Rhondda two years after the consecration of St John's was 88,351 and had risen to its peak of 162,717 by 1921, it then progressively reduced to 88,924 in 1971. From 1921 onwards a period of economic decline, which seriously affected the Mining Industry, persisted until the outbreak of the 1939 War, and this was a major factor influencing the exodus of young people from the Rhondda during this period.
The
situation was further aggravated when along with others in the locality, the
members of the congregation suffered severe hardship in 1926 from the combined
effects of the General Strike and Mining Strike which lasted some 8 months,
resulting in many collieries throughout the Rhondda staying closed. The finances
of St John's were severely affected during this period, giving an overall
deficit on the Offertory Account of £72.1.8. in 1926. Offerings dropped
considerably and continued to do so for many years thereafter. During the
twenties, the appearance of the interior of the Church was further enhanced
by the installation of the beautiful stained glass windows depicting biblical
characters. Those on the north (GLynfach Road) side of the nave were in memory
of Haydn Vivian Richards, Cloth Hall; those on the south side were in memory
of Clara Rebecca, wife and Frederick, son of Octavius Thomas and in memory
of Arthur and Arthur George Ireland . The Insoles Screen and Chancel ere greatly
improved by the imposing Rood Cross affixed to the top of the Screen, given
by Mrs Mary J Evans in memory of her husband Charles Evans and Doreen Railton.
Rev. D. Marks announced that the had been offered a Living in Llantwit Fardre and officiated at his last service on April 8th 1928, having the satisfaction of seeing that the number of Easter Communicants had risen to 228 in his last year.
REV THOMAS JONES M.A. 1928-1937
Rev T Jones was Instituted on May 29th 1928 and having come from Clydach Vale, was well prepared for the gloom that has descended on his new Parish as a result of the deepening depression, adding to the growing number of unemployed day by day.
The
following is an extract from an article by the Rev. T. Jones in the Porth's
Empire Shopping Week Programme, 1931 -
"The Iron Mission Room at Llwyncelyn was now showing signs of decay,
and it was decided to build a new permanent Church. Steps were immediately
taken to carry the decision into effect; the foundation stone was laid by
Mr Octavius Thomas on All Souls' Day 1929, and the Church was dedicated by
the Lord Bishop of Llandaff on July 17th 1930. A very spacious Church Hall
has also been built to replace the old iron building; this hall will shortly
be officially opened. To their lasting credit, it should be stated that both
the new Church and the new Hall were built chiefly by the voluntary labours
of the Llwyncelyn Church people.
For many years the St John's Church Choir had performed to a high degree of excellence under successive Choirmasters and an accomplished Organist with Assistants always ready to give their services when the need arose. Many sacred concerts had been performed over the years and continued under the Rev. T. Jones's ministry; it was particularly gratifying that there was no great difficulty in recruiting young boys to replace those who became over age. One of the attractions of being a member of the choir was the Annual Choir Outing, usually to Weston-Super-Mare; and needless to say the boys particularly enjoyed their gift of an apple at Harvest Festivals.
From the time it opened in 1910, St John's Hall had been used for a great variety of purposes apart from the traditional Sale of Work, Tea Parties, Sunday School Classes etc. Indeed, it had built up a fine reputation as a Concert Hall giving many stirring performances under the auspices of the considerable musical talent of both St John's and St. James's Churches, augmented by other Organisations and outstanding Artists on the locality. Among a considerable number of performances over the years was the Grand Opera "Faust", Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance", the Cantata "Princess Ju-Ju" and in later years the Drama Group performed Emlyn Williams' "Night Must Fall". The short-time working and unemployment arising from the Colliery closures in no way diminished the enthusiasm of the hard working, dedicated Church members involved in these concerts, and they were rewarded with capacity audiences. The Hall was put to other purposes too, on one occasion in doors to the Lesser Hall to accommodate the huge crowd who came to hear the Rev. Studdert-Kennedy or "Woodbine Willie" as he was affectionately known by the frontline troops in the 1914/1918 War. He acquired this name for his distribution of a popular cigarette amongst them in the trenches, when serving as an Army Chaplain. It had been said that he had a great influence over "the man in the street" and wherever he went, he was assured of packed audiences. In his book "A Welsh Eye" the Cymmer-born author and Broadcaster Mr Gwyn Thomas wrote "…just over to the left is St John's Hall which was for years shuttled between being a centre for Grand Opera and the headquarters of the Ministry of Labour, both in those days demanding large casts and sombre synopsis." He was of course referring to the darkest days of the depression unil1939, during which time the Hall was used as an Unemployment Exchange to cope with the vast army of unemployed in the district.
As would be expected the Annual Collections continued to slump until they dropped to "229.3.9 in 1937, this compares with £396.1.0. in 1924, but despite this, the average number of Easter Communicants in the four years to 1936 rose to 300. In 1937, with the unemployment problem still unresolved, Rev T. Jones was invited to move to the less troubled waters of All Saints Church in Penarth Parish, his last service at St John's was on September 12th 1937.
REV JOHN ALLEN JEFFERYS-JONES B.A. 1937-58
On
the departure of Rev. T. Jones, he was followed by the Rev. J. A. Jefferys-Jones
from Merthyr Tydfil who as Instituted on December 11th 1937, he was to remain
in the Parish for 21 years, the longest serving Vicar in the first hundred
years of its life.
Within two years of his arrival the country was once again plunged into conflict at the Declaration of War on September 3rd 1939, and young men and women were soon to leave to join H.M. Forces, Nursing Services etc. To conform to government Regulations it was necessary to black out the Church windows, this presented a particular problem in respect of the very large East and West facing windows and was only resolved by the application of black paint.
The Rhondda being considered an area safe from Air Raids, became host to many children evacuated from London, and some of them, together with the children of other families who had recently moved to other cities in England were accommodated throughout the Parish. At first, Church services were sometime disturbed by false Air Raid Warnings and once by a Gas Exercise, but there was no reason to believe that the area was under threat from enemy action. However, towards the end of 1940, the peace of the neighbourhood of Cymmer and Porth was shattered when three bombs were dropped in a line from waste ground adjacent to Wyndham Street, to High Street opposite the Pioneer Club. Miraculously, damage to the Church property was only superficial, the worst affected being St John's Hall where the estimated cost of repair was £120; tragically, the bomb dropped on High Street was to take the life of a lady living in the area.
Most of the unemployed of the district were now able to find employment in factories engaged in War Production, and coal was once again in demand. St John's Hall was no longer required as a Labour Exchange by the end of 1939, but along with other similar buildings it was requisitioned by the Ministry of Food as a Storage Depot, and remained under its control until the end of 1945. The consequence of using the Hall for these purposes necessitated replacing the floor which had been badly damaged. Volunteers from the Church took up the damaged floor and raised the joists ready for a new Maple floor to be laid, which was then available for use over the following 20 to 30 years.
There had been a steady decline in church attendance over the War years and it never really recovered to its pre-War level, and by the end of the War in 1945 and until the late fifties, the number of Easter Communicants was only marginally above 200. Although the area was now enjoying relatively full employment, the population of the Rhondda in 1951 had fallen by 30,000 to 111,389 in the twenty years since 1931 and again this was a factor in the reduction in congregation.
With the gradual deterioration in the condition of the Church, and the need to carry out essential repair work, it became increasingly difficult to balance the books relying solely on Offerings. In 1946 it was felt that there was a need to replace the gas lighting in the Church with electricity, but after considering the cost, it was delayed until funds became available. The Church spire also deteriorated until it became dangerous and it was eventually dismantled, with the base housing the Church bell as at present.
On a number of occasions, the church was left without heat during spells of severe winter weather as a consequence of frozen central heating pipes, and during the extremely bad weather in the first three months of 1947, there was no heat for five consecutive Sundays. These problems continued until November 1951 when a burst boiler forced a decision to replace the existing system of solid fuel heating with a gas boiler.
In memory of the late Mr Harry Cooper, Choirmaster and Sunday School Superintendent, a new Front Cover was Dedicated on the 31st December 1950.
With declining congregations, which in the early fifties became apparent at
most places of worship, the problem of the Church being able to meet its financial
obligations of paying its Quota to the Diocesan board of Finance, along with
heating and maintaining an ageing Church, became acute. It frequently became
necessary to call upon Church Organisations to give financial assistance,
the most generous contributor being the Church Hall Committee. With the repair
of the floor, St John's Hall became revitalised and once again was used extensively
for Concerts, Dances, etc. and among some of the events which took place was
the Porth Hospital Annual Ball which became a very popular and well attended
social event in Porth.
The decline of the Welsh Church, St James, began shortly before the outbreak of the 1939/45 War, and an early as April 1940 Sunday Services had been reduced to Holy Communion at 9.30am. The arrangement was further modified to fortnightly services from January 1045, and then monthly from May 1946. The Church closed its doors in March 1958 and for a while, Holy Communion was celebrated in Welsh at St John's once a month at 8.30am, but by December 1961 these had been discontinued apart from being held on special occasions.
Although a number of the Easter Communicants remained fairly steady throughout the fifties, it became apparent that the traditional Welsh Sunday was seriously under threat from the emergence of television and the increasing number of family care. The most obvious effect of this situation was reflected in the substantial reduction in attendances at Evensong.
The problem were further aggravated when it was announced in an Extraordinary Parochial Church Council meeting convened on the 12th September 1954, that the Architects had discovered Dry Rot in some of the Woodwork in the Church, and in addition, Fungus which they had temporarily removed would have to be destroyed; a conservative estimate of the cost of remedial work was £2000.
In 1957, the Parsonage which had housed the Curate was sold and the proceeds amounting to a net figure of £579.8s.4d. would be held in a special fund.
Rev Jeffreys-Jones had served the Parish well in a difficult period of its existence, and on the 6th May 1958 he announced that he had been offered the Benefice of Barry with Porthkerry, which he had accepted.
REV MARTIN MARKER BOWEN M.A. 1959-1967
Rev.
M M Bowen had been a Tutor at the Theological Colege of St Michael's and All
Angels, Llandaff before his Induction on January 8th 1959.
He saw the problems at St John's as a challenge which gave him the opportunity to put into practice those things that he had taught at St Michael's. He very quickly tackled them with vigour and at the first Parochial Church Council Meeting chaired by him, it was suggested and agreed that a census of every house in the Parish be undertaken and that he would like to train a group of young men in Evangelism.
Although a fund had been set up some years earlier to repair the Welsh Church, the Vicar announced in January 1959 that owing to Financial difficulties it could not be repaired. By April 1959, the Bishop issued a Decree of of De-Consecration of St James and it was offered up for sale. The sale was not completed until May 1962, the proceeds being paid into St John's Funds, the balance of St James' Building Fund having been transferred earlier.
At the suggestion of the Vicar, the first changes to the pattern
of Sunday Morning Services for many years were adopted by the Parochial Church
Council. Under the new arrangements which would be effective from Al Saints
Day, November 1st 1959, they would be as follows:-
8.00am Communion St John's
9.00am Communion St Luke's
10.15 am Family Communion St John's with said Mattins after the service
In June 1960 the Diocesan architect gave a report on his examination of the West Wall and Porch and stated that they were in a bad state due to past neglect, and recommended that the Parish should borrow £2,500 fro the Representative Body to pay for the repairs.
Following the Census carried out in the Parish, a Share Scheme was instituted to raise Church Funds and a committee formed in September 1960 to organise it, with a view to operating it from the beginning of 1961. The scheme was an immediate success and by the end of the first quarter of 1961, the total amount of Alms and Dues of £574.18.9. was only marginally short of the total collection for 1960. In May 1961, the Vicar announced that as agreed when the Christian Giving Campaign was started, the Proceeds from the Annual Bazaar would be given to the work of the Church outside the Parish; after considerable discussion, this decision was endorsed by the Parochial Church Council.
Since the end of the 1939/45 War, an Annual Battle of Britain Commemoration Service had been held at St John's organised by the R.A.F.A. - the last service was held on September 18th 1960.
The first and only Broadcast from St John's Church was made on the Welsh Home Service at 7.45 p.m. Evensong on Sunday 2nd July 1961.
Despite the installation of a new gas boiler in 1951, the central heating system was still inefficient and frequent complaints were made about the temperature in church in recent years. In November 1961, a Heating Engineer was asked to inspect the system and reported that the boiler was too small and the heat given out was only one-third capacity. His recommendation to replace the existing system with an Oil Heating Boiler was accepted. It was installed in the Spring of 1962 at a cost of £453, which was paid for from money available from the sale of the Parsonage.
An analysis of Dues given in 1962 showed that the early improvement in "giving" had not been sustained and that of 394 people in the Parish who had pledged to give a definite sum, only 78 had honoured their pledge, 61 being from St John's. Further cause for concern was that Easter communicants had dropped to 139, the lowest for over 50 years.
Due to problems with the condition of St John's Hall and reduced numbers attending Sunday School, the Vicar announced that from September 6th 1964 Sunday School would commence at the same time as Family Communion. Juniors would be in church for the Ministry of the Word and the Kindergarten in the Institute; all to be present in the Church from the Offering onwards.
Remembrance Day Service and a Parade had been a feature of the Church's Calendar since 1918 and for many years had been attended by members of the Armed forces and other uniformed Organisations, together with members of the British Legion. Attendance had tended to reduce from a few years after the cessation of hostilities in 1945, but they continued to be supported by the British Legion until 1964 when the last service was held on November 8th.
The repairs to the West Wall had already been completed and work on the Porch was completed early in 1964 at a total cost of £1,085.8.0., it was found necessary to borrow a further £500 to help meet this account even though none of the capital of £2,500 from an earlier loan had been repaid. During the following two years concern over the Church's finances deepened and certain drastic economies effected. By 1966 it was found necessary to transfer funds from various organisations and to hold a Special Gift Day on February 18th 1966, to help pay off the outstanding Quota. In May 1966 the Vicar told the Parochial Church Council "…that he considered it was not cutting down necessary expenditure, nor by resorting to the old and discredited methods of money-raising through the holding of functions in the Hall, but by leading the Parish to see the necessity of drastically raising its standards of giving, that the Parochial Church Council would save the Parish's Financial problems."
On May 26th 1967, the Vicar announced that he had been offered and accepted a Benefice from one of the Oxford colleges. It was a country living at Stoke Bruerne near Northampton in the Diocese of Peterborough. The Parish was deeply sorry to hear some years later that Rev. Bowen had been involved in a serious road accident in which his oldest daughter had died, and that he had never recovered from his injuries and died in 1976.
REV
DENNIS BUTLER BEVAN B.A. 1967-1979
Rev. D.B. Bevan, a curate from the Parish of Porthkerry with Barry was Instituted on November 16th 1967 and his family occupied the new Vicarage at Maesgwyn. The Parsonage Board who had taken over the management of the Vicarages, had previously decided to sell the old Vicarage because it was too large for present day requirements and would need considerable expenditure to bring it up to an acceptable state of repair. The new Vicarage was purchased in 1967 and was part of a large house that had been built in 1902 by the then manager of Cymmer Colliery.
At a Parochial Church Council meeting on November 28th 1967, it was agreed that "Church collections should be used to maintain the Church and the funds raised from Bazaars and other such functions, should be used to repay the outstanding loan of £2,450, and some money given to Charities." The Vicar was of the opinion that St John's Hall had deteriorated to such an extent and was so expensive to maintain and heat, that consideration should be given to selling it and to build a new Hall adjacent to the Church. This action as agreed, and by April 1968 Site Plans were drawn up and Outline Planning Permission sought from Rhondda Borough Council. The Representative Body of The Church In Wales were advised of the Church's intentions. Planning Permission was given very quickly and whilst the Bishop supported the Parish's plans for the Hall, the Vicar was advised that nothing could be done until permission was given by the General Purposes Committee. Thereafter, there were legal complications which prevented the sale of the Hall, and it was not until shortly before he left the Parish in 1979, that the Vicar's tenacious efforts were rewarded. Permission was eventually given to enable the Parish to sell the Hall and the School-House after purchasing the land on which they were built.
In 1955, an examination of the Organ had revealed that some £1,700 needed to be sent on its restoration, but there was no means of financing it at this time. Following further examination by Messrs. Vowle of Bristol 1968, the reported "…it was in a very bad way and would not recommend any money spent on restoration and they would to their utmost to keep the instrument playing and hope things can be kept going until the Church is in a position to consider some alternative Instrument" - the organ is still in use.
With the change in attitude by the general public towards the Church and Chapel attendance which had gathered momentum during the 1960's, considerable difficulty had been experienced in recruiting new Choir Boys, and after discussion between the Vicar and the Organist in November 1970, it was agreed that girls would in future be encouraged to join the Choir. The present situation is that for a number of years there have been no Male Adults in the Choir, and Choir Boys are but a faithful few who also act as servers.
The Parish Boundary had remained unchanged since 1920, but
in 1971, the boundary of the Parish of Cymmer and Porth was amended by the
transfer of the district of Trebanog and Rhiwgarn from the Parish of Tonyrefail
and Williamstown, and to the transfer of the area around Appletree in Dinas,
to the Parish of Dinas and Penygraig. Although the change resulted in an increase
in the population of the Parish, very few people have travelled down to worship
at St John's
By 1972, the Church's finances showed signs of improvement and part of the
loan had been repaid, but there were further demands on its' resources in
the years 1972 and 1973 from the renewal of the Church lighting and a number
of expensive repairs and re-decoration.
Following lengthy discussion at Parochial Church Council Meetings on the proposals for Covenanting for Unity with other Churches in Wales, a vote was taken on February 21st 1974 which resulted in a 7 to 1 majority with 5 abstentions in favour of Covenanting.
It was with great relief and considerable pleasure that the long struggle to repay the debt which had been outstanding when the Rev. Bevan came to the Parish, was finally discharged in November 1974 by a final payment of £50.
The central heating system was still proving to be troublesome and once again it was found necessary to call in an Engineer to inspect it; on this occasion several deficiencies were discovered and remedial work carried out. By the mid-seventies the cost of oil had increased considerably, and as a contribution towards reducing heating and lighting costs, the Vicar decided in January 1975 to hold Evensong at 3.30pm instead of 6.00pm on Sundays, this arrangement applied to Winter months only, and continued until October 1982.
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales visited the Rhondda on July 28th 1976 in connection with the Target for the Rhondda Youth and Prince of Wales Committee, during which time he called at St. Luke's and was entertained to 'tea' in the Hall.
On July 26th 1979 the Vicar announced that he had been offered the Living of St Bride's Major with Southerndown and had accepted. He left the Parish in a reasonably sound financial position, with all outstanding debts cleared, and the further prospect of money being made available from the sale of St John's Hall and School House. Although the number of Easter Communicants had dropped to an average of just over 100 during his incumbency, collections had increased from £913 in 1969 and £1,876 in 1979, an indication of the greater commitment of Church members.
REV PHILIP GREGORY MORRIS B.A., M.Phil. 1980-88
Rev P G Morris, a curate from Cimla in the Parish of Neath with Llantwit, was Instituted on the 29th January 1980.
At the first Parochial Church Council Meeting attended by the new Vicar, he opened his address by saying "As you must appreciate, we are now entering a new era in the life of this Parish, and obviously, because you have a new incumbent, you cannot expect things to be quite the same as they have been. And in any case they shouldn't. No Church, no Parish, must ever stand still..." and went on to stress the importance of congregations being involved in all aspects of Church life and to share in the ministry of the Church. He concluded by drawing attention to the new Chapter of the Constitution of the Church in Wales, concerning Parochial Church Councils, by saying, "The functions of the Council shall include the promotion of the whole mission of the Church. That's the first thing, and that is what we must keep before us as our main work."
By April 1980, the number of Parochial Church Council Members was reduced to 12 from St John's and 6 from St Luke's, and a Steering Committee formed and who wished to be on the Electoral Roll; a new Parish Magazine had been introduced in March.
The Church Organist, Mr C Lloyd announced his retirement of Whit Sunday 1980, which ended some 80 years of loyal and devoted continuous service by father and son in this capacity. His brother, who over the years had substituted when necessary, agreed to continue to do so.
As part of the plan for the Parish and with a view to maintaining close contact with people living in every street, Stewards were appointed covering the whole area except Trebanog and Rhiwgarn. They were commissioned as Street Stewards by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff at St. John's Church on June 12th 1980. To help the finances of the Parish, it was agreed to pursue the Vicar's proposal to ask tax paying members of the parish to Covenant their offerings, in due course this was implemented.
In the knowledge that financial assistance would be forthcoming from the sale of St John's Hall and School house, a detailed study was made of the comparative cost of building a new hall adjacent to the Church and completely renovating St John's Hall. On the evidence of the reports and after considerable discussion, it was eventually agreed to pursue the new Church Hall project further, and to apply for £10,000 Loan. After site preparation work and excavation of foundations had been completed by volunteers from the Church, labour and supervision provided by the Government sponsored Rhondda Enterprise Ltd., moved on to the site in February 1982. Rhondda Enterprise Ltd., undertook to lay the base, re-build boundary walls and lay paths etc., the prefabricated building was supplied and erected by Marley Ltd. Church members assumed responsibility for ordering and receiving materials, acting in an advisory capacity and finished off the interior of the building. The total cost of the whole project was just over £30,000 and was funded by the sale of St John's Hall and School House, grants, money from existing Church resources and Fetes etc., together with the Loan of £10,000 which was repaid by 1985.
The new hall which was to be called "St John's Centre", was completed early 1983 and was officially opened and Dedicated by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff on May 6th 1983. It had since provided the local community with a much needed amenity and in particular is used by the Sunday School, all other Church Organisations and for children's parties, polling etc. It's activities and finances are controlled by a Church Social Committee and a feature of the various activities they organise, is the annual pantomime performed by the St John's Players. Such is the success of these performances that on two occasions in recent years, they have been invited to perform at the Penrhys Community Centre for the benefit of the unemployed in that area. Proceeds from all the Centre's activities help to maintain it and enable the committee to give the local Senior Citizens a much appreciated New Year's Eve Party, with a meal and entertainment. It is also used temporarily to hold Church services when major repairs etc., are being carried out in St John's Church and regularly for Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning worship, providing a very relaxed, warm and friendly atmosphere.
The Rev. Glyn Derek Price (N.S.M.) served as Honorary Curate at St Luke's and assisted at St. John's since he was ordained Priest in 1977, during which time he had come to be highly respected and loved by the congregations of both Churches. They were saddened to hear of his sudden death on July 1st 1981, and as a token of their esteem, the members of St John's contributed towards an "All Seasons Frontal" which was Dedicated to his Memory. Rev. Price was not replaced as Curate and it became necessary to re-organise Sunday Evensong so that is was held at St John's and St Luke's on alternate weeks.
To promote growth in the Parish, the Vicar organised a weekly study group at the Centre on Tuesday evenings and also a House Group at the Vicarage on Wednesday evenings, he also encouraged parishioners to attend Renewal Services held throughout the Diocese and exchange visits with churches in other parishes. Two well supported events were a "Diocesan Family Day" at Margam Park in 1983, attended by 130 Parishioners and also a "God and Family Festival" at Builth Wells in 1986. One of the highlights of Rev. Morris's ministry was the Renewal Week in May 1985; Sunday Evensong being addressed by BBC News Presenter Mr Chris Morgan, and a Healing Service, with the laying on of Hands, by Bishop Graham Chadwick. In due course, Healing Services were held in both churches, by the Vicar.
The heating system became increasingly troublesome and was successfully replaced by a new radiant heat system at the end of 1986. Following the installation of this system it was found possible to carry out long overdue repairs to the Church and to redecorate the interior before the end of 1988. The total cost of the heating etc. was in the order of £19,000, a loan of £10,000 to help meet the cost was repaid at the end of 1988.
The Vicar announced in May 1987 that from the first of the month he had been appointed Diocesan Missioner and would be leaving the Parish some time in the future. The uncertaincy of the date of his departure was because no suitable accommodation would be available for some time. In the event, he left the Parish on May 24th 1988. During this period, Rev. Morris retained the responsibility for running the Parish along with work connected with his new post. To assist him in this formidable task, a plan was formulated to provide the maxim possible assistance from lay members of the Parish, particularly in Administration and Pastoral care. In view of the frequent re-organisation of Parishes, there was concern over the possibility of a merger with a neighbouring parish; however these fears were groundless and the parish allowed to continue as before.
REV. PETER MICHAEL LEONARD B.Sc., Dip. T.P.,M.R.T.P.I.
1988 TO DATE
Rev.
P.M. Leonard, curate of the Rectorial Benefice of Llantwit Major was Instituted
on September 12th 1988, by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff and Inducted by the
Archdeacon of Margam.
The centenary of the parish church was celebrated with a fortnight of events beginning with the anniversary day Monday, 5th June when the Archdeacon of Margam, the Venerable D Gordon James preached at a service in St John's. On Wednesday and Thursday the 7th and 8th June a production of 'Greater than Gold', the story of Mary Jones and her Bible, was offered in the St John's Centre. On Friday and Saturday the Church was open to visitors. They enjoyed displays showing the life of the Church at the present and documents and memorabilia illustrating aspects of days past. The parish registers were open for inspection and excited much interest. There was a Young Christians service on the following Sunday and on Tuesday 13th June the Bishop was the guest at a Centenary Concert given by the Lewis Merthyr band and artiste. A coffee evening followed on the Wednesday and the week was rounded off on the Friday with the Parish Centenary Supper in the centre with guests in period costume and entertainment to match. The fortnight was concluded with a Sunday School celebration on Sunday 25th June. All agreed that the centenary had been marked in a manner appropriate to this important event in the life of the Church and Parish.
In addition to those items mentioned in the foregoing, there have been countless numbers of beautiful bequests and gifts given to St. John's over the past one hundred years. It would be quite impossible to mention all of them, but they have all been greatly appreciated and gratefully received.
The
year 1905 was the start of the Womens' Fellowship. Through the years this
fellowship has grown and become strong, now still in the year 1989 we remain
true to the purpose of the Mothers' Union which is particularly concerned
with all that strengthens and preserves Marriage and a Christian Family Life.
Our aim is the advancement of Christian Religion in the sphere of Marriage,
may the years to follow show true dedication within our Church with world-wide
Unity. To read further about the modern day Mother's Union please click HERE
The Girl's Friendly Society was officially formed in 1875 - "…to give Glory to God by bringing girls and women into the full life and fellowship of the Church and by helping them to know, love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ". A branch of the GFS was formed in St John's in 1905. Apart from a break from 1914 to 1928, it has been meeting ever since.
The girls have taken part in many activities over the years - knitting balaclava helmets during the war years, country dancing, decorating Easter Eggs, soft toy making etc. The list is endless. They were there when the people of Wales presented the little house to the young Princess Elizabeth and Margaret in the 1930's, they have won prizes in GFS rallies, raised money for charities, were represented by a member at a Buckingham Palace garden party and joined GFS holidays. In 1981 St John's at last had their own GFS banner. Many of those who had been members during previous years joined in the banner dedication service and remembered with pleasure and pride their days with the GFS.
The St John's Men's Guild was affiliated to the Church of England Men's Society for many years; the first reference to the organisation was in the 1914 Parish Magazine, but there is every reason to believe that it had been formed some years earlier. They were a very active group of men who regularly held meeting which were addressed by a wide variety of speakers on subjects as diverse as - "A Visit to Switzerland" and "The Life of Tolstoy". They also participated in many indoor and outdoor activities, and in 1916, St john's Guild Bowling Club started on its momentous existence, and success seems already assured; its location is on the Green alongside St John's Church". In the following year, ladies were invited to join the Club, but there has been no further reference of its continued existence.
The Members varied skills were regularly used in the maintenance of Church buildings and they constructed a Guild Room at the rear of St John's Hall which was opened on the 23rd October 1924. Sadly, due to lack of support after 1939/45 War, the organisation handed the building over to the Parochial Church Council for disposal. It was demolished in March 1963, after restarting in January 1960.
Click on pictures for larger image
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The Executive Committee
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Invitation to Opening Ceremony
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Above pictures published with permission from B. Morgan(Permission pending)
Over they years there were many attempts to organise clubs for boys and youths. For a while they were run successfully, but on each occasion they were disbanded, mainly because of the lack of suitable individuals to run them over a lengthy period.
The Institute was built c1915 and over the years has been used extensively by all the organisations in the Church, particularly the Mothers Union and the GFS; between 1964 and the opening of St John's Centre it was also used by the Sunday School. It has been renovated in recent years and is now available as a dressing room for pantomimes etc. and other miscellaneous purposes.
Glyn Thomas
