St John the Baptist Church, Danescourt explained

St John the Baptist
Imagealt:Exterior of St John's Church showing short tower and surrounding graveyard
Coordinates:51.5038°N -3.2416°W
Denomination:Church in Wales
Website:https://garthma.wales/our-churches-and-halls/st-johns-church-danescourt/
Status:Active
Functional Status:Parish church
Heritage Designation:II
Designated Date:19 May 1975
Style:Perpendicular
Years Built:14th Century
Parish:Radyr
Deanery:Radyr
Archdeaconry:Llandaff
Diocese:Diocese of Llandaff
Priest:Rev'd Ian Yemm

The Church of St John the Baptist is a listed Anglican church which serves the suburbs of Radyr and Danescourt in Cardiff.

According to legend, the area of Radyr was the home in the 5th Century of a hermit named Tylywai, a disciple of St Cadog, who founded a chapel or wayside shrine there. The presence of an actual church is thought to date from the 11th Century; by which time the area was on the route of pilgrims travelling to Llandaf to pay respects to St Teilo.[1] It is referred to in written records in 1254,[2] by which time it was already long-established. The early church was replaced in the 13th Century. Elements of the Medieval architecture survive in the present building, though the church was extensively restored and modified by John Prichard in the 1860s,[3] and further modifications occurred in the years following. The church, which was surrounded by fields until the 1970s, became listed in 1975.

The parents of the author Roald Dahl are buried in the churchyard.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The History of Cardiff's Suburbs. 4 December 2021.
  2. Web site: History Points. 4 December 2021.
  3. Web site: Coflein. 4 December 2021.
  4. Web site: The Parish of Radyr. 4 December 2021.