St Andrew's - Church in Wales - Penrice, Swansea, Wales. Great Britain.
N 51° 34.202 W 004° 10.549
30U E 418509 N 5713872
The stunning ancient church of St Andrew. A 'Church in Wales' Episcopal church, in the Parish of South West Gower, in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon. St Andrew's is located in the tiny village of Penrice, on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales.
Waymark Code: WMJ0N2
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/05/2013
Views: 2
After a drive down a very narrow lane, you arrive at the tiny village of Penrice, and its ancient church dedicated to St Andrew, a Norman church of the early 12th Century.
St Andrew's has been renovated several times due to storm damage, in the 18th & 19th Centuries.
The first things you notice as you walk towards the church, is the size of the porch, it dwarfs, and is completely out of proportion with the rest of the church. The other is that the church tower is overshadowed by a giant yew tree.
The church is surrounded by graves, mostly ancient and unreadable, but I missed the most famous headstone in the Cemetery, known as the Murder Stone. If anyone visits this waymark, please take a photo of the stone, by the entrance.
"An absolutely huge and ancient yew tree grows to the side rear of the church, a poignant sentinel over those whose shorter lives have now passed. One particular life, cut short by an unknown hand, is marked near the front of the church and is known as the 'murder stone.' The grave inscription reads:
"To the memory of Mary, wife of James Kavanagh of Penmaen, who was murdered by ... on the 3rd October 1829, aged 75 years"
It is believed that this inscription was designed to prick the conscience of the unknown murderer and get him to confess his sins. Whether his/her identity ever came to light or a suitable punishment meted upon them is not known." Text Source: (
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"St. Andrew's church was once owned by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, but little of this original building survives today. In a mighty storm in 1720, the building lost its entire roof. During the following restoration, a new floor and more comfortable seating were added to the church interior. More dramatic alterations were also made at this time, including enlargements to the building's windows. Further restorations in 1894 again distanced St. Andrew's from its original appearance but the church still holds a fascinating charm of its own. Whilst the church is usually kept locked outside of service times, the church grounds themselves offer enough interest to merit a visit."
Text Source: (
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Times and text below from the 'Church in Wales' web site for St Andrew's - Penrice Church: (
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Service Times
1st Sunday
8.30am Holy Communion
2nd Sunday
8.30am Holy Communion
3rd Sunday
11.15am Holy Communion
4th Sunday
8.30am Holy Communion
5th Sunday
10.30am Benefice service
Notable Features
The graveyard and memorials, and the parish registers, have been catalogued and published by the Glamorgan Family History Society. A number of distinguished individuals and established Gower families have memorials at the Church.