St Joseph's Church

St Joseph's Church is a basilican-plan Roman Catholic church dating from the 19th century. It was designed to incorporate a sanctuary at the east end with flanking north and south apsidal chapels, and north and south transepts. At the west end are the bases of planned towers, the south tower having a south-facing porch. A north vestry and a corridor connect the church to an adjacent presbytery. The church is constructed of grey-brown stone with rendered panels and bathstone dressings, with slate roofs.

The west front features a three-bay arcaded gable with a wheel window, a shallow porch with a tympanum over the doorway, and three windows on each side of the porch. Outer bays show the bases of unfinished towers with sloping roofs at different levels. The south return of the south tower base has a gabled porch, arcading over a round-headed doorway, and doors with elaborate strap hinges. The south nave elevation has five bays, each with a clerestory window above arcading; aisle bays each have circular windows. The transept has two blind arcaded bays facing west, and a gable elevation with an upper round window and two tall round-arched windows. The east end has a projecting gabled sanctuary at a lower level, with three bays of arcading and three round-headed windows; the central window is placed higher. The sanctuary is flanked by apsidal chapels, each with three bays and windows in the outer bays. The north elevation is similar to the south but lacks a porch in the tower base. A single-story vestry has three-light and two-light shouldered windows to the north; the vestry and aisle are largely obscured by a long corridor connecting the church to the presbytery, which features a round-arched door and two round-headed windows.

Inside, the nave has five bays with alternating cylindrical and grouped shafts and interlace capitals. The boarded and panelled roof is supported on corbelled wall shafts rising from the arcade. The clerestory windows are flanked by blind round-headed panels. The aisles have stations of the cross within shallow aedicules; round windows to the south aisle, and round-headed doors to the vestry and corridor in the north aisle. To the west, an organ gallery sits above a lobby with a broad elliptical arch flanked by round arches. The crossing area features arches with inner orders on corbels. The north arch has two arches at ground level with a round shaft and responds, and a single large arch above. The south arch has two arches at ground level with a square pillar and responds, and two arches above. The sanctuary has a chancel arch with engaged shafts, three stained glass windows, and a canopied sculptural reredos to the original polychrome altar, featuring an Agnus Dei flanked by Angels, with Evangelists below. Statues of St Joseph and St Peter stand to the sides of the chancel arch, with stained glass windows above at clerestory level. A modern polychrome marble altar is also present along with a wooden throne used by Pope John Paul II during a visit to Cardiff in June 1982.

The south apsidal Lady Chapel contains a polychrome marble altar with a sculpted reredos depicting the Madonna and Child flanked by male and female saints. The north apsidal chapel has a similar polychrome marble altar with a sculpted reredos depicting Christ and male and female saints.