History

Anglican parish church, the parish formerly a chapelry of Llanbadarn Fawr, rebuilt 1836-40 by William Coultart of Aberystwyth, replacing a church of similar plan, (nave, chancel and S transept) which had had the remains of a medieval chancel screen. It was rebuilt for £450 as the £700 needed for a tower and spire could not be found. The S transept was the family pew of the Vaughans of Trawsgoed, and their burial vault was beneath with burials recorded from 1741. Altered 1866-7 by William Butterfield for £1600 with new W end, repairs in late C19 under R Gardiner, the agent for the Trawsgoed estate, and in 1925.

Exterior

Anglican parish church, coursed rubble stone with Bath stone dressings and slate low-pitched roofs. Nave with W bellcote, S porch, S transept and chancel. Flush quoins to angles. W end has coped shouldered gable, quoins, centre narrow projection with quoins, sill-course under 2-light pointed window with lancet lights, blank roundel with quatrefoil over and hoodmould. Projection carried bellcote which has steep chamfered ashlar base, side small buttresses and front string course under pair of bell-openings with square heads in chamfered surrounds with ogee heads. Ashlar steep gable with cross finial. Panel of grey stone in gable and also below string course. S side has coped gabled porch with ashlar pointed arch, the double-chamber head dying into the sides and quoined side buttresses. In porch, collar rafter roof with braces carried up to collars from a wall-board to give a 3-sided profile. Chamfered pointed S door with pyramid stops to chamfer, double board doors with wrought-iron fleur-de-lys hinges. To right of porch paired lancet. S transept has pointed S door with gabled hoodmould and board door with fleur-de-lys iron hinges. Off-centre 2-light window above. E side of transept has lean-to outhouse with S door. Chancel has coped E gable, pair of lancets, and flush ashlar bands at sill and impost levels. N side has lean-to with small 3-light E window. Nave N has NE round ashlar chimney, and 4 windows single lancet left and right and 2 pairs between. The plinth does not extend under the right lancet suggesting that this end was added in 1866 with the W wall.

Interior

Rendered interior lined as ashlar with low-pitched roofs. Nave roof has 5 original trusses with tie-beams and king-posts (posts slightly altered in 1866-7), two W trusses of 1866-7 are collar-trusses with raking braces to form 5-sided profile. and plain boarded 5-sided chancel roof of 1866-7. Plain lintel to S transept which is raised on wooden floor and has steps up and panelled front. Round-arched chancel arch with keystone. Chancel has 5-sided roof with moulded ribs on timber corbels. N side narrow vestry door with cambered head and iron strap hinges. One step to sanctuary, one to communion table. Shelf on left wall. Vestry has corner fireplace.
Fittings of 1866-7 by Butterfield include: massive plain ashlar octagonal font on squat quatrefoil shaft, plain pine pews with shaped bench ends, pine pulpit with 4-sided panelled canted front, reading desk, cast-iron chancel rails with plain gothic arcading and gates with quatrefoil in diagonally-crossed ellipses. Painted ashlar reredos by Butterfield of 3 panels, 2 square each side of a taller centre panel with cusped pointed head. Two painted armorial hatchments, to the fourth and fifth Earls (d1873 and 1888). Oak eagle lectern to 6th Earl (d1899). Two continental C17-C18 paintings, Resurrection and Virgin Mary. Organ of 1937 by Griffin & Stroud. Tapestry panels in pulpit and reading desk 1967.
Stained glass: Good E window of c1867 probably by Clayton & Bell, 6 scenes in C14 Gothic style on red and blue grounds, to the Countess of Lisburne (d1851), and the Hon Wilmot Vaughan (d1853). Three windows by Powell of Whitefriars: W window 1923, SS John and Michael, war memorial; nave N 3rd window, 1925, to 6th Earl (d1899), St Hubert and King Arthur; and 2nd window, of 1945 to Regina, Countess of Lisburne. S transept window c1900-10 by Shrigley & Hunt of Lancaster, SS Asaph and David, to Hon E.C. Vaughan (d1876).
Memorials: S transept 3 plain matching late C19 marble plaques to Vaughan family members and the 6th Earl.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a C19 estate church of historical interest for connection with the Earls of Lisburne, and with good font by W Butterfield and East window stained glass.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• St Afan's Church at Wikipedia
• St Afan's Church official website
• Wikidata Q7592222

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

• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House