St Peter's Church

St Peter’s Church stands in Roath, a district of Cardiff, as the city’s oldest surviving Roman Catholic church. Administered by the Rosminians, it occupies a site near City Road that was secured on a 999-year lease in 1858. The church was designed by Charles Hansom and opened in 1861 without the planned tower and spire. Early years were difficult, with poverty and drunkenness in the area keeping attendance low. After the Marquess of Bute converted to Catholicism in 1868, fundraising improved and a school was founded in 1872. The church’s fortunes changed further when Lord Bute funded the tower in 1883, though the spire was never added. Stained glass windows in the sanctuary date from 1882, each costing £160, and a statue of Saint Peter was placed above the entrance in 1912. During the Second World War, when the city-centre cathedral was damaged, St Peter’s took on episcopal duties between 1941 and 1945. An incendiary bomb struck in 1941, damaging the lady chapel roof, but repairs followed and the church was consecrated in 1948. Inside, the sanctuary holds the 1882 stained glass and a statue of Saint Peter above the entrance. A three-manual Continental-style organ, installed in 2006 and named for Sir Julian Hodge, dominates the music of the church. The Gothic Revival presbytery, designed by W. P. James, was added in the 19th century. The building became a Grade II* listed structure in 1975, recognising its architectural importance. The surrounding area, once troubled by poverty, now forms part of a settled Cardiff neighbourhood.