St John The Baptist Church, Cardiff City Centre

It's poured with rain all day: It was Mrs BB first day off and she wanted to grab some bargains in Cardiff city centre. After trudging around a few dress shops and lingerie departments, with her of course, looking for her size and waiting outside the changing rooms, I became grouchy and almost lost the will to live.

The blip photo is taken on the walk into town, via Church Street, and shows St Johns Church in the centre of Cardiff. You can see how wet the day was! I attended many services there as a young child, with my granddad, as they lived a half mile walk away. I go to The tea rooms there now, occasionally.

The church was built in 1180 as a chapel of ease, founded by Benedictine Monks from Tewkesbury Abbey. St John's was sacked during a rebellion of Owain Glyndwr in 1404. It was rebuilt in the second half of the 15th Century and given a perpendicular tower with a peal of ten bells. Today it still has a crown of openwork battlements, reminiscent of churches in the West Country.


After the foundations of St Mary's were destroyed by the Bristol Channel sunami of 1607.  In 1952 St John's became a Grade I listed building, of exceptional architectural and historical interest.

On getting home I used the last of the turkey to make a hot curry whilst Mrs BB was happy to have turkey and home made cranberry chutney after she returned from her 1.5 mile swim.

I'm not sure what time I'll get a blip posted tomorrow, so in case I don't get around to it, let me wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year and the hope that Blip continues and thrives as a community owned venture.