Church of St Gastyn, Llangors, Powys

Entry Name: Church of St Gastyn

Listing Date: 17 January 1963

Last Amended: 21 August 1998

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 6755

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: St Gastyn's Church, Llangastyn Tal-y-llyn

ID on this website: 300006755

Location: Very near the S edge of Llangorse Lake and adjacent to the Old School.

County: Powys

Community: Llangors (Llan-gors)

Community: Llangors

Locality: Llangasty Tal-y-llyn

Traditional County: Brecknockshire

Tagged with: Church building

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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

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.

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Other nearby listed buildings

II Lychgate in churchyard of St Gastyn
Forming the W entrance to the churchyard and adjacent to The Old School.
II* Old School House (also known as Yr Hen Ysgol)
Near Llangorse lake and adjacent to the church of St Gastyn.
II Walled garden at Treberfydd
To the W of Treberfydd house and a little N of the road between Pennorth and Bwlch, with Garden Cottage adjacent.
II Entrance gateway and wall at Treberfydd
The curved wall bounds the front entrance courtyard facing the park and lake with gateways to drives at each side.
II* Stable courtyard at Treberfydd
Attached to the NW side of Treberfydd mansion with main entrance from front terrace; also rear drive entrance.
I Treberfydd (also known as Treberfedd)
On rising ground above the S shore of Lake Llangorse, overlooking the Lake and Mynydd Troed, standing in a large garden and parkland reached by front and rear drives.
II Walled terrace and steps in Treberfydd garden
Adjoining at right angles the S wall of Treberfydd house.
II Garden Cottage with front wall, gate and railings at Treberfydd
Within the grounds of Treberfydd, fronting the lane between Pennorth and Trebinshwn, adjacent to the walled garden, garden nursery and range of greenhouses and sheds.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Gastyn

A Grade II* Listed Building in Llangors, Powys

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