Gower
St Andrew's Church, Penrice
Hospitaller
A 12th-century Norman church in the Penrice estate, given by the de Penrice family to the Knights Hospitaller of Slebech in the later 12th century.
St Andrew's Church at Penrice is a compact Norman building of the later 12th century, standing on the edge of the Penrice estate on south Gower.
The advowson was granted by the Norman de Penrice family — the same lords who built the nearby castle — to the Knights Hospitaller of St John at Slebech, bringing the church into the same commandery network that already held Llanmadoc, Llanrhidian and Rhossili.
The Hospitallers kept the presentation to the rectory until the dissolution of their Welsh houses in 1540. The medieval nave, chancel arch and font are still recognisably the fabric the order would have known.
Visiting
Penrice village sits above Oxwich Bay, signposted from the A4118. Park at the village green and walk to the church; the ruined castle is on the estate below.
Coordinates: 51.5647°N, 4.1878°W
