Church of St Tudor Mynyddislwyn, Ynysddu, Caerphilly

Entry Name: Church of St Tudor Mynyddislwyn

Listing Date: 25 May 1962

Last Amended: 16 September 1999

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 1882

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

ID on this website: 300001882

Location: On the crest of Mynyddislwyn, surrounded by a walled churchyard.

County: Caerphilly

Community: Ynysddu (Ynys-ddu)

Community: Ynysddu

Locality: Mynyddislwyn

Traditional County: Monmouthshire

Tagged with: Church building

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Mynyddislwyn

History

Church has a Celtic dedication and a surrounding roughly rectangular churchyard. Twyn Tudor medieval motte is adjacent to S. Church is first mentioned c 1102 but all surviving masonry appears later. N arcade suggests a later medieval enlargement of the nave. Church was severely damaged by fire in 1800 and was restored and re-opened in 1820; much existing fabric appears to date from this time; further restored in 1906-7 - date of barrel roof - with roof repaired in 1960s with composite tiles; these are being replaced by Welsh slates and leadwork in 1990s. Plans to augment bells by installing peal from St Luke's Abercarn in early C21. Churchyard was cleared in C19, as revealed by older yews which stand on mounds and the lack of early tombstones. Before the eventual creation of separate parishes in the later C19, Mynyddislwyn parish church served a large community of rural farmsteads and early industrial development in the valleys.

Exterior

Parish church. Nave, integral chancel, S porch, W tower, long N aisle. Of narrow sandstone rubble with some roughly dressed stone for quoins and some dressings, with some ashlar; part Welsh slate part composite tile roof. Nave windows have a fine set of early C19 iron-framed glazing with intersecting tracery. Tower of 3 storeys is embattled with small rectangular lights to the tower chambers, smaller to the turret which adjoins N aisle; single light louvred openings with voussoirs to ringing chamber; string courses separate the storeys. Small moulded pointed arched W doorway; OS bench mark on SW. N aisle has sprocketed eaves, square headed doorway with voussoirs and 2 side windows; 2-light NE window and E chancel window both have Perpendicular style tracery; against the E wall is the headstone of a tombchest to Thomas Elias (d 1851) with plentiful late Classical decoration, painted at some stage; at SE the wall is unfinished; heavy moulding to 2-light SE window. Gabled buttress with offset indicates division between nave and chancel; nave has 3 windows, the iron frame in one replaced by a late C20 stained glass window. Porch has plain pointed arched doorway with narrow voussoirs. Good cast metal hoppers.

Interior

Nave interior is of bare stone, rendered and limewashed to chancel, limewashed to tower. Wagon roof has a boarded ceiling. No chancel arch. 4-bay N arcade, the octagonal piers on very deep remodelled broached square plinths; deeply moulded capitals; pointed arch in NW wall has voussoirs. Tall pointed tower arch has shallow mouldings to sides, deeper and recessed to arch; step down to tower chamber; narrow tower doorway to N has deeply chamfered surround. NW bay is boarded off to form kitchen and vestry; NE bay a chapel. Step up to S door which is square-headed with keystone and voussoirs incorporating arched 6-panelled door. Panelled pulpit against S wall has tester, probably the survivor of an C18-early C19 seating arrangement. Small font possibly early C19 with painted cover. On NE chancel wall an C18 wall monument, and an unusual painted wooden C18 wall monument by S door; others from early C19 and later. Corona light fittings in tower and vestry. Plain quarry glazing to the iron-framed windows; stained glass to E windows and chancel and S window by John Petts late C20. Display case to nave rear contains Bibles; some ledger slabs to floor.

Reasons for Listing

Listed II* as an important historic parish church of SE Wales in a commanding position, including medieval nave arcade and a rare set of early C19 iron-framed windows with contemporary glazing. Group value with lychgate.

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.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

II Lychgate at St Tudor's Church Mynyddislwyn
On the N side of the churchyard adjacent to the Church Inn, forming the main entrance to the walled churchyard.
II Caerllwyn Isaf and attached byre/stable
On the W flank of Mynyddislwyn, close to the N/S mountain road which leads S to Cwmfelinfach in the Sirhowy Valley; stands in a walled and gated enclosure with stone stile to field.
II Ton-eithin
Just E of the crest of Mynyddislwyn, SE of the church, on the upper slope of Nant Hafod-Tudur, reached by a long farm track.
II Glebe Farm
On the S flank of Mynyddislwyn, off the E side of the lane leading S to Cwmfelin-fach, and reached by a farm track across fields.
II Wall, railings and gates at New Bethel Chapel graveyard
Wall completely surrounds the original graveyard and extends uphill along the lane fronting the graveyard extension, ending in a recess with double gates.
II Ty Mynydd
On the mountain W of Abercarn, NE of the mountain hamlet of Mynyddislwyn and reached by a track from the Craig y Darren lane.
II Monuments to James Thomas and family at New Bethel
In New Bethel graveyard, on the S side of the chapel, the figure monument on the boundary wall between the old cemetery and the extension with the tomb chest below.
II Monument to Thomas Henry Thomas at New Bethel
On the S side of the chapel, a little N of the James Thomas monument and also by the wall dividing the original cemetery from the later extension.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Tudor Mynyddislwyn

A Grade II* Listed Building in Ynysddu, Caerphilly

Coordinates