St John's Church, Dowlais

St John's Church is a defunct Grade II listed church in the village of Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales.

St John's Church (2012)

The church was built in 1827 for local ironworks manager Sir John Josiah Guest, at a cost of £3000. It was gradually completely rebuilt later in the century, in a Gothic style, finishing with the main nave and aisle in 1893/4.^[1] Sir John (d. 1852) was buried in an iron coffin in the chancel under a red granite slab.^[2]

The church ultimately closed its doors in 1997. In early 2015, it was listed for sale at an initial price of £50,000.^[2] It was subsequently earmarked for £400,000 of Welsh Government grants to support its repair and redevelopment.^[3]