History

An early Christian foundation, reputedly C6. St Gwynno is believed to have been a monk or follower of St Illtud of Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major). Fragments of early sculpture incorporated in the masonry confirm an early foundation. Thought to have been a single cell building in C12, extended to create separate chancel c 1300 with priests' door and S porch added in C15. One of a number of medieval hilltop parish churches in Glamorgan, now distant from the industrial communities which colonised the valleys. A daughter church of Llantrisant and in C16 a curacy under Vicar of Llantrisant, who was in turn appointed by the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester Cathedral to whom the major tithes were paid. The earliest churchyard monument is reputed to be to Christina Pitt, died 1667, but is not identifiable. Llanwonno became an independent parish in C18. Old photographs pre-1893 show a small and simple structure of nave, south porch and chancel. Miss Olive Talbot of Margam Abbey commissioned Halliday (George Halliday) and Anderson to undertake the restoration at her expense. A NE vestry was added at this time and probably the internal plaster removed then. The N windows date from 1913. That the churchyard was cleared and levelled at some time (probably early C19) is shown by the higher ground round the yew trees; the Tithe Map of 1842 shows it considerably smaller.

Exterior

Medieval church restored in Gothic Revival style. Built of rubble with rock-faced stone dating from restoration, ashlar dressings and slate roof with cruciform finials, stepped down the hillside. Plan of nave with W bellcote and S porch and chancel with N vestry. All the openings, except the inner S door and priests' door, and the W front are C19. The W bellcote has a saddle-back stepped ashlar roof with paired louvred lights to belfry (tiered lancets to narrower sides), quatrefoil in apex and projects from the W wall being supported by stepped clasping buttresses with offsets which create an open W porch under a segmental-pointed arch. Set back is the moulded pointed-arched main W doorway. The arrangement also creates an arched recess, topped by a band of trefoil moulding incorporating gargoyle-type carvings of heads, to the single-light trefoil-headed W window above; below, the deep stepped sill terminates in a band of foliage carving above the outer W arch. Deep S porch has a heavily moulded pointed-arched outer doorway with very decorative niche with figure above: inside are stone seats either side, flag floor, 2-bay boarded roof with low ridge beam; main S doorway is a single-chamfered and stopped pointed arch. S windows all have curvilinear tracery with mouchettes: three 2-light windows to nave, one single light to chancel; similar 3-light E window, all with hoodmoulds and head stops. Chamfered S priests' door to chancel. N. nave windows are quite different (and later): large, square headed with hoodmoulds, and Perpendicular-style tracery, 4 windows of alternately 3 and 2 lights. Chimney to NE vestry. Stands in a large churchyard with a number of early and mid C19 tombs and headstones in the upper part with inscriptions in English and Welsh. The churchyard is bounded by a dry-stone wall of fine craftsmanship.

Interior

Interior is of bare unrendered rubble Boarded ceilings with embattled wallplates: 4 bays of arch-braced trusses with moulded purlins and arched ridge beam to nave, rising from plain corbels and ornamented with gilded shields and bosses; 3 bays to chancel barrel ceiling which is ribbed and enriched with gilded bosses at intersections. Stone flag floor to nave incorporating a number of ledger slabs, encaustic tiles to sanctuary. One shallow step up from nave to chancel and another from chancel to sanctuary. Chancel arch is plain and pointed of undressed stone; adjacent to N is the former rood-loft opening. Ashlar surrounds to the windows and W door and varied mouldings to the window heads; the chancel window surround is finely moulded with clustered colonettes, ball-flower moulding to the arch, stiff-leaf capitals and head stops. Pointed arched doorway to vestry NE; at SE segmental pointed inner arch of undressed stone to priests' door. A good collection of C18- C19 monuments, some of which are signed by monumental masons from Cardiff and Bristol, many commemorating families from the larger farms of the area. Especially noteworthy are the C18 slabs set against the walls (probably originally set flat) 8 in the nave and 3 in the chancel, with long inscriptions with fine lettering. Doorways at W and S; near W is the font, an unusual ring-moulded tub with lead lining on a later stem. By S door and a small rectangular recess is a fragment of early Christian sculpture, a relief cross set within a circle with infill dots. From the ceiling hangs a good set of converted oil-lamps. In the vestry is a Benefaction Board recording a gift of Edward Thomas of Llantarnam1675, though the board itself is later. All windows have stained glass: E window commemorating Morgan family members died 1870s by A Savell and Co, N by RJ Newbery 1913-16.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a historically important medieval hill-top church, retaining a good proportion of its fabric and interesting later monuments, restored in C19 with high quality workmanship and detailing.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29504294

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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