History

City United Reformed Church is a union of three Cardiff city centre churches with roots reaching back to the mid-nineteenth century—Charles Street and Wood Street Congregational Churches had merged in 1971, then in 1976 this united congregation joined Windsor Place Presbyterian Church in a service that not only included the inauguration of City United Reformed Church but the induction of the Rev. Wyn Parry as Pastoral Minister for the new congregation and the induction of the Rev. Douglas Bale to give leadership to the mission and development of City Church and to serve as Cardiff's first "Urban Chaplain". A 1977 church meeting affirmed that “God has brought us together in the City United Reformed Church in order to fulfil a ministry in and to the life of the city centre."

The church took a major leap of faith, making a significant financial investment in thoroughly refurbishing and expanding the Windsor Place building as its new common home. The commitment to the city centre was made against the advice and wishes of many people in the URC District and Synod, including the Moderator at that time. A vision of Cardiff's now vibrant city centre that today we take for granted had not yet taken shape, so a considerable effort was needed to overcome opposition to a city centre ministry, and approval was ultimately given only because we were able to present a case for an "English" free-church in the commercial and administrative centre of Cardiff which would fulfil its mission to minister to that centre and, as an ecumenically-minded community, develop central resources for the city's ecumenical church community and for the urban community in general. It was realized that it would be wrong to commit such a significant capital investment simply to provide a church for worship an hour a week on Sunday mornings for people who pass other churches on their way in from the suburbs. So the work went ahead, and when the Rev. Peter Scotland was called to lead the united church in 1981, the work going on at Windsor Place meant that City Church had to be worshipping in temporary quarters, in a YMCA dining hall, and Peter’s induction was held at Tredegarville Baptist Church. By the end of the millennium, both Doug and Peter had retired, and the Rev. Dr. Tom Arthur was called as minister of City Church in 2001.

The vision, which actually goes back at least to the 60s, (when the imagination of the Rev. Dr. William Hodgkins, minister at Charles St., sparked the ecumenical Cardiff Adult Christian Education Centre) continues to unfold in new and unexpected ways today. City Church is a hub of Cardiff ecumenical activity, has made a significant effort to welcome marginalised populations, and, working with both faith-based and secular organisations, is continually finding new opportunities for engagement and networking with urban issues.

An architectural history of City United Reformed Church.

The sanctuary at Windsor Place as it is today

Wood Street Congregational Chapel, seen here in 1907. At the time it was one of the largest chapels in the country seating 3000 people, having seen previous life as a music hall and circus

Charles Street Congregational Chapel was
opened on the 5th July 1855,
with a gallery being opened on the 8th July 1860

Windsor Place, during it’s English Presbyterian days, designed by Thomas
Pilkington in 1886
and seen here around 1870, before the front was enlarged
in 1893

A Brief History