East Williamston Parish Church, East Williamston, Pembrokeshire

History

A Church of no recorded dedication, which has long been a chapel of Ease under Begelly. It was described as dependant on Begelly by George Owen in 1594 and by Lewis in 1833. Lewis also described it as 'a rude edifice without tower or spire'. It was first described in detail by Sir Stephen Glynne in 1867: he noted that it was in a wretched state. Its outer walls were then whitewashed. It had modern windows 'of the worst kind', a low mis-shapen chancel arch, stone brackets in the chancel and a plain octagonal font. He also described the belfry, 'pierced with an arch for the bell'.

The Royal Commission Inventory stated that the Church was 'practically rebuilt on the old foundations' in c.1895, but this is clearly an overatatement of the amount of change. The walls were certainly heightened by 0.3m, as the line of the new masonry is evident through much of the nave and chancel. Below this line the old masonry survives, and the original roof support corbels in the chancel, observed gy Glynne, remain. The chancel arch is now regular in form, and probably repositioned.

The interesting feature of the Church is the miniature tower. It imitates tower in the local tradition, but at a small scale. It perches over the W gable of the nave in a manner similar to the tower of Cosheston, and has similar external steps over the N coping of the gable. Some details have been repaired in concrete, but it is not significantly different to Glynne's description of 1867. This military-style structure is probably a whimsical addition of the C18, in the period before ecclesiological correctness was expected of such alterations.

Exterior

The nave and chancel have no differentiation. There is an unusual miniature tower at the W end and a small porch at the N. The stonework is only exposed on the N face and the top of the tower, where it is random rubble in local sandstone. The other faces, including the tower to a little above the level of the roof, are rendered but not painted. There is a slight batter to the foot of the N and W walls. The roof is of thin slates with a tile ridge.

The porch is of stone, very small, with a pointed brickwork outer arch. The intereior is painted white. The door is ledged, framed, braced and battened.

The window are all plain fixed lights of timber with either pointed or cambered brick heads and slate sills.The W wall of the tower stands on an external broad buttress with two corbelled increases. The E wall stands on corbelling out fron the W wall. The access door is in the N face, reached by steps formed in the top of the gable. There are double belfry lights to the E, and single to the S and W. There is no N belfry light, but a gap above the door serves the same purpose. The tower terminates in a military parapet with crenellations on a corbel table.

Interior

Nave and chancel of same width. The chancel roof is of two bays, with a collar-beam truss. Floor of red and black quarry tiles. One steps up to sanctuary. Oak altar with a carved reredos; the rails donated in 1939. The E window is pointed, in a squre opening; the S window narrow, also pointed and in a square opening. In the chancel three corbels from the earlier roof structure survive each side. The chancel arch is pointed and plain except for a slight chamfer. All the windows are plain glass.

The nave has opposed doorways at N and S, the latter blocked before the external face was rendered. The roof is of five bays with collar beam trusses. An old corbel survives over the N door. Ther is one square headed window in the N wall lighting the lectern and one in the S wall lighting the pulpit. The other two windows in the S wall lighting the mail part of the nave are square headed internally and pointed externally.

At the W of the nave is a curtained vestry. In the W wall is the bellrope recess, 0.7m wide by 0.4m deep, witha small blocked slit window. At high level each side are double corbels for th eN and S walls of the bellcote tower, and further corbelled courses to carry the E wall. In the floor of the tower are two bellrope holes.

Pulpit at right, donated in 1922. Eagle-lecternat left. The font, at the W end of the centre aisle, has a curious blacksmith's repair in the form of an iron band with two tightening wedges. The bowl is roughly octagonal with shallow pointed-arch decoration on each of the faces. Prehaps C13, on a modern tapering base.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a mediaeval Church of which the bulk of the masonry probably survives, and for a bellcote in tower style, an unusual example of probaly C18 pre-ecclesiological restoration.

External Links

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