The Industrial Revolution transformed the South Wales Valleys. Sleepy hamlets were transformed into bustling towns almost overnight. As these communities grew, so did the need for places of worship. One such example was St Mabon’s Church.
Sited on the top of Llanfabon, St Mabon’s had been a place of worship since medieval times. As the population increased it quickly became apparent that St Mabons was too small.
It was proposed that a new church be built to serve the developing communities of Abercynon, Quakers Yard and Nelson. One of the driving forces behind this proposition was Thomas Shepherd, the General Manager of the Glamorganshire Canal.
The chosen location for the new church was a patch of hillside which commanded an imposing view, looking down over the old parish road and River Taff. The land for the church was donated by Baroness Windsor the wife of Baron Windsor, owner of the Plymouth Estate which owned much of the land in the area.
St Cynons was designed in the Gothic style by architects Pritchard and Suddon of Llandaf. Richard Mathias was contracted to construct the church using Blue Pennant sandstone from the nearby Park and Pandy Quarry in Trelewis. This was dressed with Bath stone.
St Cynons Church measured roughly 73 ft by 22 ft and comprised of a nave, chancel, small vestry, south porch and belfry. It cost £4,820 to build and could seat 200 people.
The laying of the foundation stone, on the 18th of July, 1861 was a large ceremony attended much of the local community. The service was conducted by Archdeacon Bosse and Rev. Canon Jenkins the rector of Dowlais. The foundation stone was laid by Bessie Shepherd, daughter of Thomas Shepherd.
Following the ceremony the invited guests and dignitaries returned to Navigation House (at the time headquarters of the Glamorgan Canal and home to Thomas Shepherd and his family) in Abercynon, for a reception.
St Cynon’s church opened for worship on the 10th of July 1862. It was formally consecrated the following year.
The finished church housed a stained glass window and a pipe organ constructed by Messers Wade and Meggitt of Tenby.
One of the most interesting architectural features of St Cynons was a sculpture above the main entrance which depicted Jesus as the Good Shepherd. It was inscribed with a quote from the book of John, “I give unto them eternal life.” A local story claims that the sculpture was the work of a local tramp who was passing through the area.
Mr Shepherd’s belief that a new church in the area was necessary was proved right. St Cynons quickly became the heart of the community. In addition to a choir its members also formed a band and a football team.
In 1876 funds were raised to build a school next to the church. This was used as both a Sunday school and a National School, educating the children of the parish. When the school closed its doors in 1949 it was the last church school of its type in the borough.
During the latter half of the 20th century, the number of people worshiping in St Cynons saw a steady decline. Eventually, on the 9th of March 1986, the little church saw its final service. Soon afterwards the building fell into a state of disrepair and was demolished. The sculpture of the Good Shepherd was taken to St Mathias Church in Treharris.
While St Cynons church has gone, its graveyard remains in place and is still regularly maintained. The burial records were transferred to St Mathias Church in Treharris.
The Abercynon history blog 
Thank you for this post, my Perkins ancestors are buried here.
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