Our History
The Norwegian Church is a little building with a big history
The history of Cardiff’s Norwegian Church dates back to 1866 when Lars Oftedal arrived in Wales. For the first two years, the congregation meet at a venue on Mount Stuart Square. In 1868, the first building was constructed as a meeting place for Norwegian seafarers during the Industrial Revolution. It was consecrated a year later, in 1869. Established in Cardiff Bay’s West Dock, the church was in a prime position, and the congregation grew substantially, with up to 90 Norwegian ships berthed in the docks at any one time. The church was relocated to its current position overlooking the waterfront of the Bay in the 1990s. The Church has a past steeped with history and remains a cherished landmark and an important centre for the Norwegian community in South Wales.
Why a Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay?
When the coal trade expanded in South Wales in the 1860’s, Norwegian ships came in large numbers to Cardiff to carry the coal overseas. These coal miles also required large quantities of cheap timber, which were supplied from Scandinavian pine forests and transported to South Wales by Norwegian vessels.
The Norwegian Church in Cardiff was the fourth Norwegian Church to be constructed abroad, and since its foundation many other churches was founded across the world. These churches not only offered a place of worship, but also somewhere that the sailors could feel at home away from home. Norwegian seafarers were a familiar sight in Cardiff during the industrial revolution, and many decided to settle to run businesses associated with shipping, including Roald Dahl’s father Harald.
In Wales, there has been four Norwegian Churches, with other churches being found in Swansea, Barry Docks, and Newport. There were also plans to open a church in Milford Haven, but these plans were completed.
Roald Dahl and the Norwegian Church
Best selling author of children’s and adult books, Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Cardiff, on the 13 September 1916 to Norwegian parents Harald and Sofie. He was named after the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen who famously beat Captain Scott to discover the South Pole. His father Harald, from Oslo co-founded the successful ship broking company Aadnessen & Dahl in Cardiff from 1880.
The family regularly worshipped at the Norwegian Church where the children were baptised as infants. Dahl spent his early childhood in Cardiff, and at the age of nine was sent to the Cathedral School in Llandaff before attending private schools in England.
Roald Dahl was also the first honorary preseident of the Norwegian Church Preservation Trust in the 1980s.
The Norwegian Church Heritage Research and Outreach Project (2022 - 2026)
In September 2022 the Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay Charity was awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant for the Norwegian Church Collation of Heritage Project. This project consisted of gathering knowledge and exploring the heritage of the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay and other former Norwegian Seamen’s Mission Churches in South Wales. Other locations of Norwegian Churches in South Wales were located in Swansea, Barry, and Newport.
The main output for the project was the exhibition, ‘Exploring the Past: Uncovering the Story of the Norwegian Church’, which was open from May 17 – June 29th 2023. The exhibition consisted of objects from our own collection, and other artifacts that were acquired or loaned to us as a part of the heritage project. This exhibition was digitised, to ensure the long-lasting and wider legacy of the project. To explore the exhibition and the history of the Norwegian Church click on the picture below:
We thank our heritage partners for this project for their support throughout this project: The Welsh Norwegian Society, Glamorgan Archives, Tiger Bay and the World, and Swansea University’s Centre for Heritage Research and Training.
The Norwegian Church Audio Trail
Throughout the Norwegian Church, you will find QR codes linking to an audio trail that explores the rich history, heritage and artefacts of this iconic historic building. The audio trail was created by Kate Keohane as part of a master’s degree project at Swansea University. The narration aims to bring the Norwegian Church’s fascinating history to life, click on the following link to access the audio trail at home.
The Norwegian Church over the years
The Norwegian Church continued to be an important place for the Norwegian community, particularly during the Second World War, when Norwegian seafarers were unable to return to their occupied homeland. The shipping trade in Cardiff Docks declined in the decade after the war and the church began to deteriorate.
In 1987 the Norwegian Church Preservation Trust was established to raise funds to rescue the church – Roald Dahl became its first appointed president. Sadly, Roald Dahl died on 23 November 1990 at his home in Buckinghamshire before the reconstruction of the church was completed.
Roald Dahl Day is celebrated every September to honour the author’s work.
The Welsh Norwegian Society
Today the Welsh Norwegian Society has been appointed as guardian of the Norwegian Church.The Society was formed as a natural successor to the former congregation, and has members from Cardiff, Swansea, Norway and beyond. The Norwegian Church Arts Centre provides an important focus for the group.
Anyone is welcome to attend our special events or get in touch if you are interested in joining the group. The annual celebration of Norwegian Day is on 17 May where a colourful parade and flag-raising ceremony is followed by refreshments in the Norwegian Church. Monthly Sunday afternoon meetings are held at the Norwegian Church and open to all. See our events calendar for details.
