Genealogy Chat

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Meet the ancestors at church weekend Sep 4 2006 Lauren Turner, South Wales Echo A historic church is throwing open its doors to let visitors explore its past - and find out about their own. St Margaret's Church, in Waterloo Road, Roath, Cardiff, is preparing to take part in a European Heritage Weekend, and will be offering guided tours of the building, including the Bute family mausoleum. People will also have the chance to find out about their own family's history, as parish registers of births, marriages and deaths dating back to 1731 will be on show. The Reverend Stewart Lisk, who has been vicar for five months, said: 'The thing about heritage is that people think it's about the past. We want to show people that it is still enjoyed today. 'We enjoy what's been preserved from the past, but we want to introduce the next generation to show them how they can become involved in the future.' One of the church's main features is the mausoleum, the final resting place of nine members of the Bute family, including John Stuart, the first Marquess of Bute. Jean Rose, who will be giving tours of the church along with Diane Walker, who wrote a guidebook on it, said: 'The church is unique. It really is a hidden gem.' Visitors will also have the chance to climb to the top of the tower for views of Cardiff, to as far away as the Second Severn Crossing. The European Heritage Weekend, run by Welsh Historic Monuments and supported by Cadw, will be from noon to 5.30pm on Saturday, September 16 and from 2pm to 5.30pm on Sunday, September 17.

You lucky Cardiff people! Perhaps other churches might follow suit. It might be well worth their while financially as no one would mind giving to the cause of new church bells, renovation, a new organ or the like when there just might be such genealogical rewards. M