History

C14 Perpendicular church, largely rebuilt 1769-70 (possibly to the desgins of Thomas Meredith) and then remodelled, principally by addition of chancel, in 1884-5 by Matthew Wyatt (cost £3000). Further alterations in 1905. A church was founded here in C7 by St Beuno and was originally dedicated to his niece St Winefride; the rededication (ca 1770) may have been made to dissociate the Protestant church from the Catholic practices below at St Winefride's Well. Rubble construction, coursed to substantially C14 tower; low pitched roof

Exterior

3-stage W tower with added crenellated parapet and stepped buttresses to W; C18 enlargements embraced it to N and S, creating broad 3-window W front. 2-light belfry openings, 4-centred to top on W face; Perp style 3-light W window with label, inserted in 1884-5. The C18 work created the main body of the church while the fenestration of the 6-window side elevations relates to Matthew Wyatt's work; Italianate 2-light windows - round-headed to gallery and camber-headed below; the N side includes one full height window. Similar windows also to the apse. S side has pedimented porch to the westernmost bay with Doric columns, round-arched doorway with keystone and fine lamp bracket; panelled double doors. Low vestry range to N side added in 1905 (in poor condition at time of inspection - Spring 1990); depressed ogee arch doorway.

.

Interior

The 'preaching-box' interior is rectangular and galleried; 4-bay nave, with full height aisles, and apsidal chancel. The underpinned late-medieval tower arch has sunk wave moulding detail as do the continuously moulded 3-order arch openings to either side. Masonry corbelled to SW corner for vice stairs with low chamfered arch doorway. Raked galleries carried on low cylindrical stone piers with moulded capitals - these are reused from the late medieval church. Panelled gallery front and C18 tapered columns above; the easternmost bays of the gallery on both sides were removed during the 1884-5 work. Plain ceiling with modillion bracket cornice to nave and simpler moulded cornice to aisles. Semicircular coffered chancel arch with dentil cornice to imposts and pilasters with egg and dart capitals; frescoed spandrels of trumpeting angels; similar detail to apse. Panelled dado behind alter and frieze of copies of Italian Renaissance paintings. Ionic pilasters flank E end windows.
Low chancel screen, pulpit and font all added in 1884-5; War Memorial stained glass in the aspe by Clayton and Bell. Classical inner porch. Monuments include one to vestry inscribed T M 1658 with coat of arms and one by Flaxman (1805) to Paul Panton in Grecian manner; many other C18 and C19 monuments. C13(?) headless effigy of a priest (discovered during the rebuilding in 1769 and now at W end). Former box-pews reused for panelling around walls.

Reasons for Listing

Graded II* for its medieval origins and assocations with St Winefride's Chapel and Well (Grade I)

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17743064

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

• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)