History

A medieval church preceded present building, itself possibly on an earlier site, since the churchyard is nearly circular and there is archaeological evidence of crannogs and lakeside settlements in the Early Christian period. Church rebuilt 1850 by J L Pearson, part of extensive redevelopment of Treberfydd Estate following its purchase by Robert Raikes in 1840s; architect and patron had already worked together in Hull, Raikes' family home town. The rebuilding of Treberfydd mansion, the church and the School House were Pearson's first major commissions. Raikes had been strongly influenced by the Oxford Movement at University and had become a committed Tractarian, these principles being strongly reflected in the building. Alterations since building are few but apparently a metal chancel screen now removed was designed for the re-used wooden wainscot.

Exterior

Church in early Gothic Revival - Early English - style. Built of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, stone tile roof in diminishing courses, blue ridge tiles, apex crosses, stepped coping. Plan of W tower, nave, S porch, short chancel, SE organ chamber, NE vestry. W tower of 2 storeys, plain string courses at 3 levels, plain coping; staircase tower NE and gargoyle N; ringing chamber has double pointed arched louvred lights with pierced quartrefoil tracery and hood mould with scroll stops on 3 sides; lancets to tower chambers and staircase. Wider nave has steep and deep roof with moulded ends to rafters and hollow chamfered eaves course; nave windows are single lancets. S porch has similar pitched roof with prominent kneelers, plain chamfered pointed arched doorway. SE organ chamber wing has similar priest's door and a pair of chamfered lights with armatures S. Chancel has similar lancets N and S and E window of 3 lancets in Early English style; NW wing has narrow trefoil headed door with hood mould and prominent external stack decoratively and asymmetrically stepped with quatrefoil decoration. Church stands in a walled near circular churchyard with contemporary lychgate SW with Gothic Revival timberwork.

Interior

Interior has white walls with exposed ashlar dressings and painted texts, inscriptions and stencilled decoration. Nave of 5 bays with arched-brace trusses and 2 tiers of windbraces. Floor of encaustic tiles patterned in red, yellow and black. Inscriptions are painted below wallplate and over chancel arch, commandments on each side. High pointed tower arch; deep window splays. Octagonal font heavily moulded with quatrefoils, inscription and base of 3 colonettes part marble, wooden pyramidal font cover suspended above; delicate wrought iron candelabras. Pointed chancel arch has an elaborately carved wainscot screen which appears to be mostly medieval. Elaborately decorated chancel has painted stencilled dado, E wall and arch mouldings; also a painted roof. Fine metal grille to organ chamber and painted pipes to organ. More decorative floor to chancel, and more so to sanctuary. Stained glass in all windows by Clayton and Bell, mostly figures set in grisaille.

Reasons for Listing

Listed II* as an important early work of J L Pearson and for its fine and almost complete Tractarian interior.

Group value with The Old School and the lychgate.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17740862

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)