Welsh Journals

Book Reviews Church Building and Restoration in Victorian Glamorgan by Geoffrey R. Orrin. (University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 2004. £ 40.00). The churches of Gower are rightly regarded as being amongst its archi- tectural treasures, but although the majority are medieval in their origins most of them survive today in, more or less, Victorian dress. A mere fifty years ago 'Victorian' was almost a term of abuse in architectural circles, used in the way Victorians had once used the word 'Georgian'. Today these styles are accepted as part of a continuing heritage in which both are equally of value. Dr Orrin is no stranger to readers of Gower, for our pages have pre- viously carried his detailed article on the various restorations of Bishopston Church (volume 52, 2001) and in our present volume he treats such work at Penmaen and Llanrhidian Churches with equal thoroughness. It is therefore a pleasure to welcome his new book which describes the Victorian building and restoration of Anglican churches throughout the old county of Glamorgan. Two hundred and fifty-five churches are in- cluded in his gazetteer which forms the main part of the book, and which provides for every one of them well-documented notes on works of rebuilding, restoration and remodelling carried out between 1837 and 1901. The author has personally visited all which still survive of the churches listed (happily, the majority), and has carried out extensive original research on documentary sources. The gazetteer descriptions which were compiled as a result of this work provide compressed but thorough information on work carried out at the Anglican churches in the county throughout Queen Victoria's reign. Each individual entry is accompanied by a per- ceptive commentary. Apart from the special interest of Dr Orrin's accounts of work to our local Swansea and Gower churches, his book will be of great value to all seeking a detailed yet succinct description of the legacy of Victorian church building and restoration throughout Glamorgan. He is to be congratu- lated on completing such a substantial survey and for presenting it in such an accessible form. B.M.