History

Medieval parish church, once a chapel of ease to Llandanwg church; possibly C13, but thought by RCAHMW to be of predominantly late C15 or early C16 construction. One of only 2 churches in the commote of Ardudwy to have a chancel arch which dates to the Middle Ages. Cusped roof timbers of late Medieval or early modern period, but most roof timbers thought to date to C17. Restored by F R Wilson of Alnwick in 1883 who renewed all the windows, rebuilt the W wall, added the vestry and restored the roof, but retained the main timber work.

Exterior

Parish church comprising 3-bay nave and shorter, narrower 2-bay chancel, N vestry and S porch. Built of local rubble masonry with freestone dressings; rough stone plinth along W wall. Slate roof with stone copings (clad with lead), single bellcote at W gable surmounted by a cross finial; similar finial at E gable of nave and on porch. The N vestry has a large shouldered stack with pointed capping.

The entrance is within a slate roofed timber porch on stone plinths, the inner doorway has a shallow elliptical head of rough stone voussoirs and the boarded door has ornate hinges. Above the doorway there is a slate slab, possibly reset from an older building on the site, inscribed with this englyn: Anneddfawr Gardarn noddfa - Gôr breiniol / Ger Bron Duwa''r Dyrfa / Er Dim na thyred yma / Y Dyn ond a Meddwl Da. Late C19 windows throughout, the E window has paired trefoil headed lights under a quatrefoil in a pointed arched frame, the W gable has a similarly detailed single window; other windows are single or paired trefoil lights. The N vestry has a doorway in the E wall and a leaded light in the W wall, both have stepped flat heads to arched openings.

Interior

The church has exposed roof timbers. The chancel has 3 roof bays with one scissor braced truss and one arch braced collared truss, cusped above the collar, both are on wallposts down to chamfered corbels; single purlins have cusped windbraces. The nave roof has 6 roof bays with pegged and chamfered braced collared trusses and paired purlins, the 2 bays closest to the chancel with windbraces. The walls have been stripped of render and the chancel arch is a flat pointed arch formed with slabs of local stone; pointed headed recesses in the E and N walls of the chancel formerly housing water stoups and aumbreys.

The late C19 E window bears a depiction of the Crucifixion, the Laying in the tomb, the Resurrection and the Ascension and is a memorial to Berkley Smith; the S chancel wall has a window bearing the image of St Michael to Samuel Pope d1901 and the S wall to Anne Pope which depicts The Good Shepherd and Job holding a child. The W window depicts Christ with St Peter to Charles Ansell d1881 and his wife Louisa d1885.

The S wall of the chancel bears a number of bronze memorial tablets to members of the Poole family, dating from 1594 to 1783 and the S wall of the nave has a slate tablet to Anthony Pool of Newton, Montgomery, 2nd son of Reverend Anthony Poole of Cae Nest d1791; other memorials in the church are of late C19 and early C20.

The fittings are also late C19 and early C20 and there is an octagonal sandstone font at the W end of the nave.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at II* as a rural parish church of preominantly C15 or C16 retaining significant early fabric including fine Medieval roof timbers.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17744317

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.

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