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Photo by Paul Kemble.

St. Mary's News

October 2018

Replacement Cross

Caerau Friends and residents had hoped that the replacement cross would be erected before Christmas. Although funding has been secured, Bereavement Manager Martin Birch's very heavy current work load has prevented him from meeting with the mason Paul Mitchell, so we lost the August slot Paul had set aside to carry out the work. Paul expects to have time for this in the New Year.

The absence of the cross continues to distress all who look for it, and some have described the tower without it as being disfigured and painful to see, especially from the bypass. We very much hope the new cross will be in place by Easter.

Grass and tree recovered from the summer. Photos by Paul Kemble.

National Archive Website

We have been contacted by the National Archives requesting permission to copy material from the Friends website for use by scholars and researchers and we have given permission for this.

Anyone who wants to add a memory of their connection to St. Marys, please email me with permission to publish it in our 'memories' slot. See link to Les Phillips's memory below.

Tools found near St. Mary's

One of our supporters came across a hammer and bolster (chisel) that could have been used to damage St. Mary's stonework. The find was reported to officials and the police, and a photograph of the tools is posted on the Caerau website in hope that someone may recognise them. The tools have been preserved for police to examine in the hope forensic information can still be extracted.

Heritage Crime

Delia was recently contacted via Friends website by a PhD student from Nottingham, who is planning to write her thesis on Heritage Crime. The student wanted to meet someone from the Caerau community to learn more about damage inflicted on St. Mary's and was put in touch with a knowledgeable local resident. The student has promised to let us have a copy of her dissertation when published, and we hope it will help shine some light on this all-too-common crime.

Letter to Echo

One of our long-serving and valued overseas supporters, Les Phillips, has written to the Echo about the sadness he feels regarding the state of his former church, St. Mary's. Les was a communion server at St. Mary's and helped the late Rev. Father Jones add a vestry to the restored church. Les's dad owned the Hill Dip shop, which is still there, and Les has suggested that Cardiff businesses could donate money to a fund to help preserve what is left of St. Mary's.

We shall have to see if anything comes of this request. To see Les's personal memory please click here.

Finally, please continue to visit the church and graveyard when you have time. It's a lovely, tranquil place to relax in, especially now the grass has recovered from the long hot summer! Caerau Friends and residents continue to work on keeping the church and graveyard nice for people to enjoy. You can help by collecting litter and reporting anything suspicious to police on 101 quoting St. Mary's post code, CF5 5NA, or contact Caerau Councillor Peter Bradbury.

With thanks to all our supporters,
Delia and Caerau Friends and residents.

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