St. John's Church

St John's Church

Dowlais Parish Church

The Dowlais Parish Church was built in 1827 by the most successful iron-master of his generation, John Josiah Guest, who is buried inside the Church. In an iron coffin.

The Church was well known for its unusual historic stained glass window, dedicated to the coal-mining industry, ‘The Miners Window’, which was funded by the Martin family. Inside the Church there are a large number of memorials, many to great figures of the Industrial Revolution, who were employed by the prestigious Dowlais Iron-Works. In recent years the Church became far too large for a diminishing elderly congregation and a problem with insurance cover led to its closure in 1997 and it was then sold to Nazir Mohammed. The original parish records are in the Glamorgan Record Office in Cardiff, and the facsimile copies in Dowlais Library, which is next to the Church.

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St. John's Parish Church, Dowlais.

(Postcard courtesy of Mrs Gill Thomas, West Grove)

St. John's Church Interior - From the Chancel Steps

Interior view of Parish Church Dowlais.

St. John's Church Dowlais - Christmas Party at the Wimborne Hall - 1932

(Photograph Courtesy of Phil Lewis)

St. John's Dowlais Mother's Union - Annual Trip to Barry Island - 1948

Back Row L-R: ? ? Elsie Williams (Horse Street), Lily Williams (Horse Street) and the remainder not known.
The boy is Robert Lewis (15 Horse Street).

(Photograph Courtesy of Phil Lewis)

St. John's Church Dowlais - Circa 1958

The vicar is Reverend Hopkins.

Choir Boys L-R: Robert Lewis, ? Hughes (or Lloyd), Peter Davies, Stuart Jones, Keith Lowe, ? Owen and Raymond Wall.

None of the girls' names are known.

(Photograph Courtesy of Phil Lewis)

St. John's Church Dowlais - Circa 1959

Phil tells us: "This photograph of the left hand side choir stalls with the organist in front of the organ. My brother Peter Lewis is on the extreme left and I on the far right. It was taken in approx 1959. 2nd from the right is, I think, Bobby Barkhouse and the girl on the extreme left is Beryl Hooper." Keith Lowe tells us: "The boy second from from the left is Robert Williams, the organist is Bill Jones and the girl second from the right is Gill Atkins, daughter of Jo Atkins, ironmonger."

(Photograph Courtesy of Phil Lewis)

St. John's Church Playgroup - 1969c.

The playgroup used to meet in the St. John's Church Hall.

(Photograph Courtesy of Huw Williams)

Dowlais - St. John's Church Hall - 1977.

Back Row L - R: Jennifer Thomas (rectors wife, holding child), Megan Mold (from Rectory Close), Gaynor Mold (daughter of Megan).

Front Row L - R: Freda Winsor, Mrs Winnie Lynch, Susan Winsor (child).

(Photograph Courtesy of John Winsor)

St. John's Church Dowlais - Stained Glass Window

(Photograph From The David Thomas Collection)

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