St Anne's Church

St Anne’s Church stands at the corner of Snipe Street and Croft Street in Roath, a district of Cardiff. Built in the late 19th century, it replaced an earlier school chapel founded by the vicar of Roath, Reverend Puller, when the local population rose from 300 to 9,000 in twenty years. The church’s original design by J. A. Reeve was so elaborate that only the chancel and spire were completed as planned, with the nave built in a simpler style. When it opened, five hundred people squeezed into a space meant for three hundred and fifty. The north aisle was added in 1891, and the south aisle followed in 1937. The church’s history includes an unusual episode in 1904–1905 when it briefly ran a pub called The Moon and Stars across the street. By the early 21st century, St Anne’s had become one of the less affluent churches in the area, facing competition from other places of worship that did not survive. A grant from the Lottery Heritage Fund helped repair the roof in 2000, but the building continued to deteriorate. By 2015, the congregation had fallen to around twelve, and the cost of repairs led to its closure that Christmas Eve. After reopening in 2019, the church now hosts Urban Crofters, a new missional community within the Church in Wales. Bishop June Osborne licensed the Revd. Will Souter as vicar, who had attended the final service before closure. The building has been refurbished, partly funded by a grant from the James Pantyfedwen Foundation. Two Sunday services are held each week, one traditional and one informal, aiming to welcome guests. The church’s history and recent revival make it a place where past and present meet.