150 YEARS OF THE NORWEGIAN CHURCH
Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay
Wed 4-Sun 22 Dec
Standing on the shoreline of Cardiff Bay, the Norwegian Church is a point of interest to all who pass it. A wooden building with a white façade and an unobtrusive steeple to its westerly side, the church is both in opposition to its neighbouring attractions and very much at home amid the varied architecture of Cardiff’s former port.
Of late, the Norwegian Church has been used for a variety of purposes, serving yoga students and art exhibitions. However, the upcoming exhibition hosted by the Welsh-Norwegian Society is set to illuminate the church’s rich history, one that dates back 150 years to an industrial, coal-exporting Wales. In fact, the anniversary is quite significant: now 150 years old, this is the second oldest Norwegian church outside of Norway itself. The church was originally consecrated to serve the Norwegian merchant fleet, once a significant presence across the world’s oceans, and the subsequent Nordic community who settled in Cardiff.
Across a vast selection of images, some grainy in monochrome, others bright and colourful, the exhibition tells the story of a building that has served a community for a century and a half. A familiar face among the photographs is that of story-teller Roald Dahl, the much-loved writer who was born in Wales to Norwegian immigrant parents and was baptized at the Norwegian Church, becoming its first appointed president in 1987. Images of Roald Dahl sit alongside depictions of local weddings, ladies enjoying tea and cake, and historic aerial photographs of Cardiff Bay. These images hark back to a distant past, pre-Senedd, pre-Millennium Centre. One constant, however, is the Pierhead Building (built in 1897), that is found standing proud in one black-and-white image of the old ship port.
With rumours having circulated in May that the historic landmark was at risk of being taken over by a fast food franchise, and Cardiff Council officials citing the “undoubted commercial potential” of the building, the timing of the exhibition is opportune. What a failure it would be to our Welsh-Norwegian community and a terrible blemish on our local history if the council allowed such a usurpation to take place.
words JAMIE WALKER
Admission: free. Info: 029 2087 7959 / www.norwegianchurchcardiff.com