Walk along the Mumbles Road in Oystermouth, go past the Post Office, shops and houses, until you come to the drangway [pedestrian path] on your right, opposite the tennis courts, this leads you up to the Parish Church of All Saints which celebrated its 860th year of Christian worship in 2001. However it's very probable that there was a Church here before the first recorded date of 1141. There is evidence that the Romans were based in Mumbles in a villa on the site of All Saints. When the Church building was being extended in 1860, workmen excavating the south side of the grounds found a tesselated Roman pavement - mosaic flooring. Pagan sites in the Roman empire frequently became places of worship with the onset of Christianity.
It is said that the Normans built the tower to defend the people inside from enemies. Originally the wooden doors at the back of the tower (shown above) were the main entrance to the church. You may reach the belfry and clock chamber using the staircase – interestingly the stairs ascend in an anticlockwise direction designed to ensure that sword arms remained free. The first room that you reach allows access to the clock and onward to where the bells were kept. There is access to the roof which was a great vantage point from which to deter attackers. This military-style tower with its massive walls is similar to other towers in Gower and was originally designed to give protection to the Anglo-Normans from any sudden attacks by the Welsh!
The nave of the old building forms the south aisle of today's building and leads from the tower to the Lady Chapel.
The Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel comprises the chancel and sanctuary of the original ancient church. It is a place of worship and quietness.
There is a feeling of great peace here: it is medieval and the oldest part of All Saints. The altar front was carved by Rev'd John Davies a former Rector of Llanmadoc.
The ancient pillar piscina to the right of the altar is a stone basin with a drain and dug up some time before 1849. It is probably the oldest relic in the Church.
The Great East Window
Directly above the high altar is a large, imposing and colourful window in memory of Col. David Lewis, sometime Church Warden. The themes of the window are Christ the True Vine, Christ in Majesty, and the Saints of the cathedrals of Wales: St Peter and St Paul (Llandaff), St Asaph, St John (Brecon), St David, St. Woolos (Newport) and St Deiniol ( Bangor).
The High Altar
Victorian in origin, this ornate and beautifully carved altar with gilded leaves, has three painted panels. The central panel depicts the Three Wise Men visiting the baby Jesus; on the left the visit of the Angel Gabriel to Mary -The Annunciation; to the right the Parable of the Lost Sheep.
Mumbles Lifeboat Window 1947 Tragedy
The Lifeboat Window is perhaps the most famous of the windows. It is in memory of the eight lifeboat crew who drowned attempting to rescue the stricken ship “Samtampa” stranded on the rocks off Sker Point, Porthcawl in 1947 during a hurricane-force gale. Read more about this tragic event.
The window was installed in 1977 and tells the story of a major lifeboat tragedy with the wreckage of the “Samtampa” and the upturned lifeboat in the centre. In the top of the window, the eight lifeboat men are standing over the roaring sea. Their souls are represented by small white circular stars in the sky ascending to heaven. In the bottom of the window are rocks, the lifeboat house and a village street with cottages.
Mumbles Railway Window - St Christopher
St. Christopher's Window, on the west wall beside the main door is a stained glass window commemorating the locality's connection with Mumbles Railway. St. Christopher is in the middle and three different Mumbles trains are depicted - horse-power, steam-driven and finally electric, as well as Oystermouth Castle and the Lighthouse. The window was dedicated in 1982.
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