Church of Saint Ismael, Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech (Uzmaston, Boulston a Slebets), Pembrokeshire

History

Anglican parish church mostly rebuilt 1873 for £900 to plans by Frederick Wehnert, executed by E. Lingen-Barker. The present church has nave, chancel, N aisle and very small part-medieval tower attached to the NE corner of the N aisle. Chancel has a medieval squint and some reset C15 windows. The medieval church was lengthened westward in 1837-9 by J. Mathias and had the roof raised in 1844 by T. Rowlands.
The old church described by Sir Stephen Glynne in 1858 had quasi-transepts of unequal form and size, and a small tower. The chancel arch was pointed but crude, and the small chancel had flat rude arches in the walls on both sides, the S arch with a long oblong recess in its jamb and a 2-light late medieval window, the N arch blocked but at the end of a 'shed-like contrivance' for the squint. The E window was late medieval of 3 lights. There was a small square recess in the S wall. The N transept had no opening from the nave and the S transept was modern and had a gallery. The windows and porch were modern.
The 1873 work seems to have been almost a rebuild from the foundations. At that time the N aisle replaced the N transept and it would seem that the S transept was removed or reduced to the present small lean-to. Restored 1992 by Wyn Jones when pews were removed and floors carpeted.

Exterior

Church, rockfaced squared sandstone with slate roofs, coped gables and cross finials. Nave with S porch at left and lean-to projection at right, chancel with large gabled S vestry at left and lean-to squint passage in angle to N aisle E gable. This is in line with nave E. Aisle W gable is set back from nave W. Attached to N aisle NE corner is medieval small tower with saddleback roof. Decorated Gothic style with grey sandstone tracery, to 2-light pointed windows with cusped heads to lights and quatrefoils in heads, all with hoodmoulds and rock-faced voussoirs. Nave has W window and two S wall windows to left of gabled porch. Porch has pointed chamfered entry with hoodmould and C20 door. Lean-to projection to right of windows has cusped single light and coping on W side, E side abuts side of vestry. Chancel has gabled vestry to left with small 2-light to S possibly the reused medieval window mentioned by Glynne, with cusped heads to lights, and E side shouldered-headed door, set to left. E wall has reset or copied Bath stone late Gothic 3-light pointed window. N side has diagonal wall with reused small medieval two-light with cusped heads and sunk spandrels. Slate roof. Masonry of squint and of lower part of aisle E end is pre-Victorian. N aisle has E and W windows as elsewhere. Below E window masonry (former side of a N transept) has marks of blocked openings.
Attached to left end is medieval tower with pointed doorway on E side, set to left and reached up stone external steps. Stone voussoirs. Tower is plain and thin. Truncated top has slate saddleback roof and two louvred rectangular openings on E side. Similar blocked openings on W.
Small blind lancets in aisle and nave W gables.

Interior

Plastered painted interior. Porch has pointed S door and 3-sided boarded ceiling. Nave has 5-bay roof with arch-braced collar trusses on corbels. Segmental-pointed head to S door and to windows. Chancel arch is pointed and not central, offset to left, minimally chamfered. Three-bay arcade to right, into N aisle, thin chamfers to arches continued down to ground at each end and 2 painted round columns with round bases and leaf capitals. Nave S has projection on left with segmental pointed arch. N aisle has 5 trusses on corbels. Small door with segmental-pointed head to right to base of tower. Base of tower has low cambered stone vault pierced by circular hole for raising bell. Large squint passage from N aisle to chancel, segmental-pointed opening to aisle E end. Squint window is late medieval with cusped heads to 2 lights and sunk spandrels.
Chancel is narrow with 4-sided panelled ceiling with large painted timber roll-moulded ribs and 6x4 plaster panels. Small corbels. Broad segmental-pointed arch on N to squint, chamfers as on chancel arch. Medieval reset corbel to right, and another opposite on S. Chancel E window is restored medieval. On S wall a medieval bowl stoup with lobes reused as piscina on 1873 ornate capital, cusped head to recess above with hoodmould. To right, a big segmental-pointed arch into vestry with 3-sided boarded roof.
Fittings: Massive C12 square scalloped font bowl with rope-moulding around top of round shaft. Painted white. Carved font cover 1939. Pulpit to right of chancel arch, pitch-pine, octagonal with Gothic panels and roundels in frieze, octagonal stone base. Some short pews around font, later C19 with poppyhead bench-ends. Timber lectern with small carved angel in use, timber eagle lectern in N aisle. Wrought-iron standards to altar rails with cross and flower motifs in scrolls. Gothic altar of c. 1935.
Stained glass: W window 2-light to Rev. Meares, 1873, the road to Calvary and Feed my lambs, by T. Wailes. Nave S 2-light Cornelius & Dorcas to G. J. Bland, 1908, by R. J. Newbery (original design in vestry); and adjoining 2-light to Rev. John Phillips, 1918, Sower & Reaper, probably by Newbery. E window of Virgin and Child with Magi and Shepherds, by Powell of Whitefriars to A. Harrison, 1956.
Memorials N side: marble plaque to Joseph Mathias of Cartlett builder (d 1806) and his wife (d 1829), pediment and reversed torches to sides. Brass to G. Bland (d 1906). Fine classical memorial to Charles Gibbon of Uzmaston (d 1779) with Ionic pilasters and broken pediment with pulvinated frieze. S side Mary Mathias (d 1820) white marble on grey with reeded rounded piers each side and urn. N aisle small plaque with urn to Richard Mathias of Cartlett, coach-maker (d 1833). On windowsill in squint is small medieval recumbent figure in grey stone, the head in an ogee canopy (removed from Boulston church). Chancel S has plaque to Sparks Martin of Withybush (d 1787) with crude broken pediment and urn; plaque with unusual scrolled urn between branches, to John Martin of Withybush (d 1819) and his wife (d 1832).

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a mostly Victorian church of definite quality including a diffused plan retaining a small medieval tower and some medieval tracery.

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.