History

Anglican parish church of medieval origins rebuilt in 1844-6. The small N chapel or transept may be medieval, and there is a C14 font and small remains of a C15 screen behind the reredos. The church was rebuilt possibly to the design of the young Basil Jones of Gwynfryn, later distinguished antiquarian and Bishop of St Davids. Jones was at Oxford and aged 24 in 1846, when the vicar wrote "Our means have been so limited that we did not feel ourselves justified to employ an architect, the original plans having been furnished gratuitously by a member of the Oxford Architecture Society, but the whole has been conducted by a person of the county of much experience, who has won admiration for his work". This was probably John Edward Jones, the builder, who signed the completion certificate. The church cost £545.
The Gothic style suggests a design by one familiar with Gothic revival thinking, built by one who was not. The 1854 window by J. H. Powell of Hardman & Co of Birmingham was given by Basil Jones and is of high quality.
Churchyard gravestones dating back from C18 including miners and gentry including the father of Bishop Basil Jones, William Tilsley Jones, and the Gilbertsons of Dol Clettwr, another distinguished Anglican family of whom Lewis, first vicar of Llangorwen and vice-principal of Jesus College, Oxford, built the church at Bontgoch (Elerch).
The reputed holy well, Ffynnon Gynfelin, is sited on the N side of the churchyard.

Exterior

Parish church, local rubble stone with dressings of cut local sandstone and steep slate roof with coped gables and crenellated ridge tiles, alternating in pairs with plain ones. Deep eaves. Single nave and chancel in one with open bell-cote to W end, small N transept or chapel possibly medieval, and S porch. Early English style with lancet windows, two step buttresses clasping angles at E and W ends and rounded sill course under windows. W end has two tall lancet windows with roundel above under pointed hoodmould, all in chamfered surrounds of cut stone, windows with diamond leading. Bellcote has tiny lancet in base and then is stepped in at sides and gabled to form oddly thin surround to large pointed bell-opening with hoodmould. South elevation has gabled porch, two lancets lighting nave each with similar stepped buttress to right, sill course and no windows to undifferentiated chancel. Windows are narrow with chamfered surrounds, cut stone voussoirs and hoodmoulds. S porch has corner buttresses and chamfered pointed arched doorway with similar S door within. Large slate flagstones to floor, pointed panelled oak double doors, painted plaster walls and two open-back wooden benches.
E end has sill band that steps up under triplet of three tall lancets, centre one taller, with hood moulds, and diamond leading.
N side is plainer and retains most early fabric. Rough rubble stone with 1845 buttresses each end but no windows. At left end a blocked pointed chancel door with stone voussoirs to left of a transeptal chapel, remaining from the earlier church. This has one small, almost triangular-headed pointed window to N gable end, small lean-to on W in angle to nave with N door.

Interior

Single nave and chancel with open timber roof, seven trusses with arched braces to curved collars giving rounded appearance. Painted plaster walls, wooden floor. Deep splayed reveals to windows. Pointed chamfered arched opening to N chapel with two late-medieval king-post trusses, slate flags to floor, and tall late C20 oak screen with Gothic panels and double central door.
Fittings: Large stone octagonal font bowl sides tapered and then curved below, probably C14, on more massive squat monolith base of octagon shaft and square base, said to have carved date JD 1627. Fittings of 1844-6 include bench pews with crude fleur-de-lys finials to aisle bench-ends; boarded dado, plain boarded low screen with octagonal newels with castellated tops, the S screen abutting oak hexagonal pulpit with paired lancets in panels, moulded cornice and curving steps up with diagonally-set balusters and turned newel to curving handrail. Plain oak altar rails with square uprights, oak panelling to E wall, similar to pulpit.
Fragment of a C15 screen: the heads of 4 cusped panels each with 2 quatrefoils over, reset over carved wood reredos of 1922: Crucifixion in bas-relief on altar to memory of member of Langdale family killed in First World War.
Memorials: Brass to left of altar to Jane Gilbertson (d 1810). Brass war memorial plaque to First World War dead.
Stained glass: left lancet of 1854 by Hardman, the design by J. H. Powell, two medallion scenes in rich reds and blues, the right one by Martin Travers, 1938, an elongated Angel of Justice, with a child outweighing a tiny devil in the balances.

Reasons for Listing

Included as an early attempt in the region at correct Gothic design, possibly designed by Bishop Basil Jones, with contemporary fittings.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29488544

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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