St David's Cathedral - The Present Cathedral

The Present Cathedral

The Welsh architect John Nash was commissioned to restore the West Front in 1793 to repair the damage done two hundred years previously. Eclectic in style (with Gothic and Perpendicular characteristics - the latter attributed partly from his destruction of the windows of the chapel of St Mary's college in order to reuse that tracery for his west front) his work soon proved to be substandard (as had his previous work on the Chapter House). Within a century the Nash West Front had become unstable, and the whole building was restored by George Gilbert Scott between 1862-70. The Lady Chapel was restored by public subscription in 1901, and the eastern chapels were restored through a legacy of the Countess of Maidstone between 1901-10.

The Cathedral suffered the pains of Disestablishment in 1923, as did the whole Church in Wales. The Diocese being made smaller, by the removal of the Archdeaconry of Brecon to form the new Diocese of Swansea and Brecon. However, this left a large area as a Diocese to govern, and St David's began to deteriorate as the centre of the diocese, being nowhere near the centre – the Bishop’s residence had been at Carmarthen since the 16th century, but administration and the focus moved from the Cathedral to the Diocese’s now largest town.

The 1950s saw the appointment of the Reverend Carl Witton-Davies as dean; appointed in his 30s, his driving vision and energy was short-lived, as he was offered what some was believed as a preferment as Archdeacon of Oxford, but did not leave that position for the rest of his service in the Church. The Cathedral began to have life again, and the famous Welsh Youth Pilgrimages to St David's led many to a life of service in the Church and provided the Church in Wales with inspired clergy for a decade following.

The 1960s saw the restoration of St Mary’s College as the Cathedral Hall, for the use of the Cathedral Parish, and for use as an area for art exhibitions and poetry readings. It was dedicated by Archbishop Edwin Morris in 1966, and the inaugural event was a poetry reading by the renowned poet, R. S. Thomas, who served as a Vicar in the Bangor Diocese.

During the 1980s a number of official events in Cathedral life took place: in 1981, the Prince of Wales visited to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Consecration of the Cathedral; and on Maundy Thursday 1982, Queen Elizabeth II distributed the Royal Maundy at the Cathedral. This was the first occasion that the ceremony had taken place outside England. 1989-90 saw the 1400th anniversary of the death of St David, presided over, rather aptly by the Archbishop of Wales, Dr George Noakes, who was also Diocesan Bishop of St David's.

The decades leading to and immediately following the Millennium, have been the most notable in the cathedral's history since its construction. Firstly, the British Government decided to re-instate the title of "city" to St David's, and this was formally conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 1 June 1995. The task that lay before the Dean, the Very Reverend Wyn Evans on his appointment in 1994 was huge - a new organ was badly needed, and the west front needed extensive restoration. It was also thought time that the Cathedral invested in its future, by creating a visitor centre within the bell tower, enlarging the peal of bells from eight to ten, and by the ‘re-construction’, or completion, of the cathedral cloisters to house the cathedral choir, vestries, an education suite, rooms for parish use, and a refectory, as a reminder of the monastic beginnings. The first project was the restoration of the west front, with the original quarry that was used for stone at Caerbwdi Bay being reopened. This phase was completed in 1998, in time for the organ to be dismantled and re-built by the organ builders Harrison and Harrison of Durham. The organ was completed in the summer of 2000, and dedicated on 15 October of that year. The ring of bells was cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London, and presented as a gift by the American Friends of St David's Cathedral. The substantial task of re-building the cloisters as an education centre and refectory began in 2003 and was completed in May 2007. The translation of Wyn Evans from Dean to Bishop led to the appointment of Jonathan Lean as Dean in 2009. His role at the Cathedral since 2001 has been to reshape the liturgy to one worthy of a Cathedral, and will continue in improving the life of the Cathedral whilst Dean. The bells are not hung in the central tower of the cathedral but in the old gatehouse, Porth y Twr. There are 10 bells with the heaviest weighing 24cwt-3qr-25 lbs in D, the back eight bells were cast in 1928 by Mears & Stainbank, London and 2 trebles added in 2000 cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London. Details of the bells:-

• Bell Weight Note Diameter Cast Founder
• 1 5-1-3 F# 2000 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd
• 2 5-1-23 E 2000 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd
• 3 5-2-22 D 30.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 4 5-3-23 C# 31.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 5 7-0-13 B 33.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 6 8-2-3 A 35.75" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 7 10-3-13 G 39.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 8 11-2-23 F# 41.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 9 17-1-2 E 46.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
• 10 24-3-25 D 52.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank