History of the Church

The Port of Cardiff was one of the first to have a Norwegian Sailor’s Church established to provide religious and social care to thousands of Norwegian sailors that were employed in the Norwegian merchant fleet. The Church was founded by Herman Lunde of Oslo and built in 1868 between the East and West Docks on land that was donated by the Marquis of Bute. It was consecrated in the December of that year. In the years that followed, the Church was extended a number of times when the reading rooms were enlarged. In 1885 the most significant alterations took place when a gallery and a bell tower were added.

The Church was very busy at this time and became world famous as a meeting place for Scandinavian sailors. Between 1867 and 1915 the Church served between 7,500 and 73,000 seamen per annum. It was the oldest surviving church in Britain to be founded by the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission and was the centre of Scandinavian religion, culture and tradition. The Church was first and foremost a seaman’s mission, but it was also a home from home for sailors where they could read newspapers and magazines from home and relax and chat with friends. Despite its corrugated exterior, the Church was calm & peaceful inside, with walls covered in paintings & plants and a sailing ship model suspended from the ceiling hung above the chancel. Portraits of the royal families from Norway, Denmark and Sweden were hung on the walls with paintings of Norwegian scenery, whilst tapestry runners and miniature Norwegian Flags decorated the tables.

As the export of coal from Cardiff docks declined, the Norwegian Ships turned elsewhere for trade and the Norwegian Seaman’s Mission decided to withdraw their mission from the Church in the mid 1960’s. The local congregation and other Lutheran organisations financed its continued use. It remained under this local control until financial constraints caused total closure and de-consecration in 1974.

Without maintenance the building fell into dis-repair and was vandalised. To avoid total destruction when the development of Atlantic Wharf was being undertaken the Church was carefully dismantled in 1987 by The Norwegian Church Preservation Trust. Parts of the interior of the church were rescued and stored. The Trust, in partnership with a Norwegian Support Committee, based in Bergen, raised £250,000 in Wales & Norway to dismantle and re-erect the Church on its present site. The site was provided by Associated British Ports and the building now occupies a very prominent position on the Cardiff Bay Waterfront. The Trusts objectives were to “advance the education of the public, by promoting the permanent preservation and maintenance of the Church as a museum”.

The Norwegian Church was re-opened by Princess Martha Louise of Norway on the 8th of April 1992. Princess Martha Louise is the eldest child of King Harold V and Queen Sonja of Norway. Princess Martha’s great great grandparents were King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of Britain and the Queen Alexandra Docks within the Port of Cardiff were both named after her and opened by her in 1907.

The Norwegian Church Preservation Trust was transferred to the County Council, under the management of the Cardiff Harbour Authority in May 2006. It is intended to continue to retain and enhance the cultural, arts programmes and the links between Wales & Norway of this important visitor’s attraction on the Cardiff Bay Waterfront for future generations.

If you would like to have more detailed information about the history of the Norwegian Churches in Cardiff or Swansea, then you can view the web-site of Herbert E Roese, a friend of the Norwegian Church at http://www.norwegianchurch.250x.com.

Please note that the Norwegian Church cannot be held responsible for the content of external web-sites.

If you would like to view more images of the Norwegian Church please visit the photo gallery

Roald Dahl Connection

On the 13th of September 1916, the internationally famous author Roald Dahl was born of Norwegian parents in Fairwater Road in Llandaff, Cardiff. His father Harold, from Oslo, co-founded the successful partnership of the ship-broking company Andnessen & Dahl in Cardiff from 1880 and the company kept offices in the ports of Newport, Swansea & Port Talbot.
Dahl became famous for his children’s books including Charlie and the Chocolate factory and James and the Giant Peach. He also wrote adult horror stories and film scripts, these stories gained in popularity particularly when they were adapted for television.

Roald Dahl spent his early childhood and school days in Cardiff where his family worshipped at the Norwegian Church when it was in its original located in the Cardiff Docks. In fact both Dahl & his sisters were christened at the Church.

In 1987 the Norwegian Church Preservation Trust was established to rescue the then derelict little white church and to raise funds to re-erect this landmark building at the heart of the regenerated docklands. Roald Dahl became its first appointed president; however he sadly died in 1990 before the reconstruction of the Church was completed.

In order to honour the famous first president the annual Roald Dahl birthday party is held for children within the Church every September. This is a successful event which is sponsored by local companies and keeps the legacy of the great author alive.

You can find out more about Roald Dahl’s children’s books at www.roalddahl.com and his life and works at the Roald Dahl Museum and story centre in Buckinghamshire at www.roalddahlmuseum.org