The Church in Wales                                                               Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru

 

The Parish of Caerau with Ely

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Church,  Caerau

 

St. David’s church was, and still is, a mission church, the parish church being the ancient church of St. Mary’s Caerau situated on Caerau Hill, almost on the brink of a Roman entrenchment.*  The name Caerau is spelt in some curiously different ways in old church records;  for instance there is one document entitled “Deed of Bargain and sale dated 20^th September, 1762,” headed  “C.  Caire  Dio; Llandaff,”    In the nineteenth century the church  was allowed to get into a bad state of disrepair,  and extensive work of restoration became  necessary.   Lieut.-Col  E. S. Hill, c. b. ( later Sir  Edward Hill, m. p. ), of Rockwood, Llandaff,  who had extensive landed interests in Caerau,  generously undertook to meet the expenses of  restoration, which was carried out in 1885. it is believed that the cost was about £600.

 

 

* This was the case when the article was originally written in 1946. St. David's has been the parish church since 1973

 

 

The  Vicarage  *

 

The Ely vicarage was built on a site comprising 2 roods 39 perches,  given by Lord Windsor and secured to the living by a conveyance dated the 5^th January, 1881. The cost of parsonage was £1,555  (including architects fees £80 ),towards which the Ecclesiastical  Commissioners granted a capital sum of £800, which was secured by an instrument published in the   London Gazette   on the 8^th December, 1871.  The balance was met as to £407, from the sale of  glebe land, £100, a gift from Lord Windsor, £220 from loans from  Queen  Anne’s Bounty, £28 from other sources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* The original Vicarage is now 65 Cowbridge Road West, the Llandaff Diocesan Parent and Baby Home "Welcare."

Parish History                 the story continues……...

The St. David’s Church Room  *

 

The Sunday school was held in the church until 1898, when more suitable accommodation became available in the newly erected church room in Clarke Street .  The site in Clarke Street, adjacent to the present Ely Council School built about the same time, was chosen as being more central, To us it may seem unfortunate that those who planned so wisely in providing such a spacious church hall at a time when Ely was a village did not see the advantage of a main road position; most of the land around the church (including the ground on which the Ely Wesleyan chapel was built in 1906) was market garden.

 

Much of the credit for the foresight in planning a building of the dimensions of the St. David’s church room must be given to the vicar ( the Reverend George Griffiths Williams ) and his two churchwardens, Mr. J. H. Brain of “Highmead “

( a mansion recently dismantled near the junction of Caerau Lane Crossing and Crossways Road ), vicar’s warden, and Mr. T. Rees, people’s warden.  The original cost was about £900, but much has been spent since on additions and improvements. By 1902 all except £334 had been paid off;  the moneys were raised by concerts and penny readings held at convenient places in the village, by  house- to- house  collections, by donations, and by the proceeds of  various church activities.  It was not until 1917-18 that the debt on the room was finally extinguished.

 

* This building was sold in the 1980's and St. David's no longer has a 'church hall.'