History

Anglican parish church of 1910-11 by E M Bruce Vaughan of Cardiff in late Gothic style of unusual elaboration for the region. The church was to cost £5-6,000, reduced to £4,700 by omitting details, but eventually actually cost £6,300 without the W end bay and W front, which have never been completed. Davies & Howell of Cardiff were the contractors. The church is not aligned E-W, but SW-NE.

Exterior

Parish church, rock-faced coursed grey-brown Shanrock stone from Ireland with Box Ground limestone dressings and Bangor green slates to roofs. Coped shouldered gables with cross finials. Nave, chancel with slightly lower roof, lean-to S aisle, prominent tower on S side of chancel with SE vestry. Late Dec to early Perp Gothic style as espoused by turn-of-the-century church architects following G F Bodley. Unfinished W end walled up in red brick. Tracery is generally ogival, 2-light windows to S aisle and longer to nave N. Aisle has big SW gabled porch with pointed doorway, hoodmould, and diagonal buttresses. Small 2-light window each side, double oak doors with wrought iron hinges. Three windows to right with big 2-step buttresses between, and pointed door at extreme right, in angle to fine tower. This has raised square angles rising sheer from big plinth and clasping embattled parapet. Tall 2-light pointed and louvred bell-opening each side with pointed over-arch and narrow band of blind arcading below, over 2 narrow loops in flush ashlar. Bell-light on W is offset to left by sheer poygonal stair turret rising to ashlar cap above parapet level. S face has 3-light square-headed window, E face has similar 2-light at higher level. Vestry beyond is raised on high basement due to fall in ground and has flat parapet. Flat-headed mullion windows, 2 3-light above to S, one 2-light and door to E. Basement has 2-light S and door E. Chancel sides also have parapets, one S pointed 2-light window and 2 to N and large and fine 7-light E window flanked by buttresses. Four tall 2-light windows to nave N divided by 2-step buttresses, the E end one gable-capped.

Interior

Handsome interior in late Gothic manner, whitewashed plastered with broad nave under pointed boarded roof of 12 bays with transverse moulded ribs and gilded carved bosses. Two-chamfer chancel arch and S arcade of 4 bays, both with chamfers dying into piers. S aisle has plain lean-to roof with straight braces across from arcade. Chancel has similar roof to nave, 7 bays but with more ornate wall-plate and more frequent gilded bosses. On S is tall pointed opening into tower base, filled by large organ by Thomas S Jones, Marlborough Organ Works, London N. Chancel steps, one from nave, 3 to altar, are fronted with white tiles with red fleurs-de-lys, while paving is of Forest of Dean stone and red tiles with some green and some encaustic tiles. Ornate chancel S wall piscina and shelf next to triple sedilia with traceried stone heads. S door into vestries.
Fittings: fine quality woodwork by Clarke of Llandaff including oak chancel stalls and 2 reading desks, pulpit, doors and screen to tower at E end of S aisle. Decorative wrought iron standards to altar rails. Stained glass E window of c1930 by C.C. Powell of London, 7 lights, the Ascension with 2 prophets and 4 evangelists. Chancel N window of c1924 by R J Newbery, 'Until the day break'. Timber reredos and E end panelling of 1947 by E A Roiser of Cheltenham. Carved stone octagonal font by Clarke of Llandaff with band of floral carving with shields and cruciform shaft with marble columns in angles.
Extensive S vestries with passage between chancel and 2 rooms, one under tower with panelled timber ceiling, the other to E with plaster flat ceiling. From W vestry is York stone winding stair up tower.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a finely detailed early C20 church in late Gothic style.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29490589

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

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  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
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  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
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  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
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  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)