Church of St Trillo, Llandrillo, Denbighshire

History

The church was built in 3 main phases: a medieval church was recorded here in the C13, and prior to a major rebuilding of 1776, had a nave and chancel separated by a rood screen, with S and N doorways, and a W tower. The 1776 rebuilding is said to have been recorded on a stone in the porch, and it is likely that a W doorway to the tower was inserted at this time. Restoration work was undertaken in 1852, of which little is known. This was followed by a major restoration in 1875-7, by S. Pountney Smith, architect of Shrewsbury, when the nave was rebuilt above sill level and the chancel, vestry, organ chamber, and porch were added. The tower was taken down one stage and rebuilt, with the addition of a spire and stair turret.

Exterior

The church consists of nave, chancel, W tower with spire, N porch, S vestry and organ chamber. Three phases of construction are evident in the fabric of the church: the lower walls of the nave, below sill level, are of rubble masonry and may be medieval. The tower was rebuilt in 1776 and is of coursed yellow-grey stone. Some rubble to the lower walls, particularly on the N side, could be medieval. The rest of the church is of 1875-7, of partly snecked, dressed grey stone, under slate roofs with raised copings and kneelers. The windows are in mixed styles; most are 2-light Geometric, or with 3-light panel tracery, all with foiled lights in heavy sandstone surrounds. Angle buttresses between windows.

Three-stage tower with plinth, the upper stage octagonal and surmounted by a spire. The lower stage has a former doorway to W end, now infilled with stone beneath an inserted 2-light foiled window. The S side of the tower has narrow lights to the 1st and 2nd stages, the former blocked and probably relating to an earlier staircase; angle buttress to R. Against the N side, to the L, is a lean-to late C19 stair turret with yellow sandstone quoins. Angle buttress to its L side and narrow stairlight to lower level. Its W side has a square-headed boarded door reached by stone steps, and narrow stairlights above. The 2nd stage of the tower has broached upper angles and a wide string course, leading to the octagonal upper stage, which is late C19. It has battlemented parapets, the string course with gargoyles. Single light louvre openings to E, W, S, and N sides, each with a quatrefoil. A clock is fixed to the N wall. Octagonal spire with quatrefoil lucarnes with hoodmoulds.

Three-bay nave, with gabled N porch to R of centre. The porch is half-timbered on a stone base with a steeply pitched roof. The stone base supports a wooden arch to entrance, on attached narrow timber columns. Continuous wooden glazing to sides of porch, each with 2 x 4-light windows, the narrow lights with trefoiled heads and with quatrefoils above containing stained glass. Two-bay roof inside porch with collars and windbraces. Entrance to nave consists of sandstone arch with 3 orders of mouldings on round columns with ringed capitals and bases, the former with ball flower ornament; hoodmould with head bosses. It contains double boarded doors with decorative braces. To R of porch is a 2-light window. To L of porch, 2 x 3-light windows with hoodmoulds with head corbels. Three x 3-light windows to S side of nave, all offset to R.

The C19 chancel is 2-bay and lower and narrower than nave. Two-light window to R bay, single trefoil-headed light to L bay. The E end has a 3-light window with sexfoil. Adjoining the S side is a gabled vestry and organ chamber with integral lean-to on R-hand side. Angle buttresses with offsets to L and R of gable. Pointed arched doorway with hoodmould containing boarded door to L, 2-light window to R, above which is a circular light containing 4 quatrefoils. L return has single light with trefoil-arched head. Lean-to has 2-light square-headed window, the lights with segmental heads; no openings to E end but angle buttress to L. Stone stack between gable and lean-to.

Interior

The nave has a 6-bay arched-brace roof with collars and cusped struts, 2 rows of purlins and windbraces. The arched-braces are supported on stone corbels. High pointed chancel arch of red sandstone, with 2 orders of chamfered mouldings on raised columns. Central aisle to nave flanked by open pews with moulded bench ends; some are said to have been remodelled from box pews in the C19. Octagonal stone pulpit to NE with open trefoiled arches. Small pointed tower arch of red sandstone, of 1875-7, with chamfered mouldings and hoodmould with head bosses. In front of the tower arch is a C19 octagonal stone font with incised quatrefoil decoration. In the SW corner is the former medieval font, said to be C15, a plain octagonal bowl on a denuded stem. At this end of the church is a large inscribed stone block, known as the Blaen-y-Cwm stone, thought to be C13 or earlier, which was brought from the head of the Pennant valley c1959.

Two-bay chancel roof with arched-braces resting on wall shafts, with collars and cusped windbraces. Two steps up to chancel, one to altar. Choir stalls with moulded bench ends and cast iron decoration to backs. Altar rail with decorative cast iron posts. Two sedilia to R, and aumbrey to L of altar, both with chamfered stone mouldings. Stone reredos with 2 stylised quatrefoils bearing scenes in relief. Archway to S side, similar to chancel arch, leading to vestry and organ chamber.

Stained glass: to NE of nave, window depicting St Trillo, in memory of John Evans, vicar 1900-23, signed G.W. 1936 (Geoffrey Webb). Two windows to N side of chancel, between which is a bronze plaque stating that they were erected during the restoration of the church by descendants of the Lloyds of Hendwr, who are buried in a vault beneath the chancel. The E window is in memory of Anne Wynne (d. 1868).

On the W wall of the organ bay are some C18 wall monuments in Classical style, of polished grey stone with pediments, mainly to members of the Lloyd family of Hendwr; 2 are of 1774 and 1788. In the nave is a marble scrolled tablet on the S wall, to Rev John Wynne, vicar of parish, 1825-70. On the N wall is a marble monument with pediment to members of the Wynne family of Branas Lodge, late C19.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a Victorian Gothic-revival church by a regional architect, with medieval origins.

External Links

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