History

Anglican parish church of Penllech. Medieval origins, much rebuilt in 1840, but never given a full Gothic Revival restoration, such that the interior remains late Georgian in type. Probably the E end is C15 added to an earlier church of which only some rough masonry low on the N wall remains.

Exterior

Parish church, rubble stone with purple slate single roof. W end coped gable with bellcote. Stonework is mostly coursed and of 1840, as on windowless W end. Bellcote is gabled with rectangular single bell-opening, bell dated 1894, bell-pull to outside. Plain pointed windows with stone voussoirs and wooden Y-tracery, 2-light glazing. 2 windows each side, one larger at E end (tracery apparently of cement). Ledged door to N side right, with cambered head, dated 1840. Traces of blocked slit windows in chancel N and S.

Interior

Simple plastered walls and 5 whitewashed pine roof trusses. These roof trusses are of collar type with diagonal bracing below and wishbone struts above collars, one dated 1840. Fittings of the early C19 all in painted grained pine. NE end complete group of 2 box-pews and three-decker pulpit, the pulpit comprising a pew-type enclosure in front of the pulpit itself and a panelled cupboard-cum-reading desk. The pulpit, to N of and slightly higher than desk, is octagonal (the diagonal faces shorter) and has single candle-holder and added bookrest. Above, to similar octagonal shape, is a suspended sounding board with moulded cornice and underside decorated with 8-ray sun. SE corner has single box pew in angle, higher than 2 more to W. Rest of the church is furnished each side with 8 early C19 open-back pews fixed to rails along walls and simple curved bench-ends to aisle. Benches along W wall and S side facing font. Floor of quarry tiles. At SW end a rough circular medieval font bowl set into a roughly square whitewashed rendered pier. By the base is whitewashed lower half of a medieval font pedestal.

Reasons for Listing

Graded II* for the unaltered early C19 interior, with box pews.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• St Mary's Church at Wikipedia
• St Mary's Church official website
• Wikidata Q7594399

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

• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)