History
St. Andrew’s church in Penrice was erected in the 12th century and handed over to the Knights Hospitaller from the commandry at Slebech at the end of the century. Later it belonged to the hospital of Saint David in Swansea, but king Edward VI confiscated it and re-assigned to the Knights Hospitaller. During the huge storm in 1720, the building lost its entire roof. During the repair, a new floor and more comfortable seats were added to the interior of the church. Once again, the church was thoroughly renovated and rebuilt at the end of the 19th century. This involved, among other, the replacement of windows, the southern entrance portal and roofs.
Architecture
The church was founded from a rectangular nave and a shorter and narrower, rectangular chancel on the eastern side, separated by a Romanesque arcade. Probably in the thirteenth century, a four-storey four-storey tower was added to the axis of the west facade. Its only windows were slits on the north and south sides and a single openings from the east and west. It was crowned with a parapet mounted on corbels and a battlement, while the difference in the type and color of the building material indicates reconstruction of the upper floor. In the fourteenth century, on the south side of the nave, an impressive porch was added with side stone seats inside, and on the north side, a sacristy (originally a chapel). Both annexes were located in such a way that they resembled a transept.
Current state
The present church has a completely transformed chancel in the early modern period, although its interior from the nave is separated by a preserved Romanesque rood arch. At the end of the 19th century, the nave windows were also transformed.
bibliography:
Salter M., The old parish churches of Gwent, Glamorgan & Gower, Malvern 2002.
Website britishlistedbuildings.co.uk, Church of St Andrew A Grade II Listed Building in Penrice, Swansea.