Church of St Martin, Raglan, Monmouthshire

Entry Name: Church of St Martin

Listing Date: 27 November 1953

Last Amended: 31 January 2001

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 17427

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: Church of St Martin

ID on this website: 300017427

Location: Prominently sited on an earthwork which forms the churchyard at the intersection of two roads at Pen-y-clawdd.

County: Monmouthshire

Town: Monmouth

Community: Raglan (Rhaglan)

Community: Mitchel Troy

Locality: Pen-y-clawdd

Traditional County: Monmouthshire

Tagged with: Church building

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History

Built on an early Welsh defensive earthwork, church of Norman origins mostly remodelled in the late C15 or early C16. A round Norman chancel arch is said to have been replaced c1860, the round chamfered arches to nave W and S doors appear later medieval however. Restoration in 1884-5 by Henry Prothero of Cheltenham, when the tower was raised, the porch added, the windows renewed, and the E window replaced. Inside the walls were stripped of plaster and the floors repaved. The thin half timbering of the present porch is presumably of 1885, but looks of the earlier C20.

Exterior

Anglican parish church, rubble stone, with silvery slates to roofs, red clay ridge tiles and ashlar coped gables. Small scale, nave, chancel, and W tower with stone tiles to pyramid roof. Added half-timbered S porch. W tower quite plain with single tiny lancet bell-openings, the stonework shoing that originally the roof was just above nave ridge line. Nave has S porch apparently wholly rebuilt in thin half-timber on rubble stone. Gabled rectangular blank plaque over tie-beam had a carved IHS shield panel. Chamfered round arch to S door within, with C19 plank door. Flat-headed 3-light C19 window to right (1884 plans show a 3-light here, but without tracery). Chancel S has C19 pointed narrow door and C14 cusped lancet to right. Bath stone E window of 1885 with square head and ogee Perpendicular style tracery, C19 hoodmould and reused medieval stops. Windowless chancel N wall, the walling apparently C19. Rebuilt nave N wall (except NE corner) with C19 flat-headed 3-light window, as on S side.

Interior

Exposed rubble stone walls. Small nave with C15 8x8 panel barrel-vaulted ceiling and heavily moulded wall plates. Single tie-beam at the W end. E end has step-back in stonework over chancel arch. Small arched W doorway into tower with stone voussoirs and early C19 board door. Tower base with flat timber ceiling and matchboard lining to walls. Nave N and S windows with deep splayed C19 reveals, N window with small stained glass panel of 1996. C19 pointed Bath stone chancel arch, mouldings dying into piers. C15 chancel roof similar to nave, of 5x8 panels with moulded wallplate. Tie-beam at W end. C19 heads to S wall openings. Some C19 encaustic tiles to the sanctuary. Altar rails with 2 wrought iron Gothic posts and wooden rail. Stained glass E window of 1885, SS Martin and Mary, in C15 style, eroded. C19 shelf with ogee arched head in SE corner.
Heavily tooled bowl font, possibly reworked medieval, on round shaft. C19 pews and stalls, small early C20 timber pulpit.
C18 plaque at W end recording gift of £40 per annum to the poor from the will of William Jones of Tregyrog. Chancel N C14 stone coffin lid carved in relief: Greek cross with foliate terminals on long embranched stem. Eroded low relief robes and higher relief head said to have been of a priest: found during restoration work in 1885. In the tower is a floor slab to Richard Edwards of Pen-y-clawdd d 1673, in the porch one to Walter Edmonds d 1676.

Reasons for Listing

Included at Grade II* as a medieval church of early origins with fine C15 barrel roofs.

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 Cross in St Martin's Churchyard
Sited in the churchyard of St Martin's church, Pen-y-clawdd to the east of the path to the church and some 5m south of the porch.
II Archway at Pen-y-clawdd House
Prominently sited on the edge of the road and some 0.25 km from the crossroads at St Martin's church, Pen-y-clawdd.
II Pen-y-clawdd House
Situated on S side of lane running E from junction some 250m S of Pen-y-clawdd church, some 200m down lane.
II Barn at Pen-y-clawdd House
Prominently sited with its gable end to the road. At right-angles to, and outside the curtilage wall of Pen-y-clawdd House.
II* Upper Tal-y-fan
About 1.8km SSW of the church of St Dingat, on the E side of a farmtrack running off the old road between Mitchel troy and Raglan where it bends under the A40(T).
II* Old Trecastle Farmhouse
Approached by a drive of some 300m, running W from road some 800m S of church at Penyclawdd.
II Lower Tal-y-fan
About 1.7km SSW of the church of St Dingat, on the W side of a farmtrack running off the old road between Mitchel troy and Raglan where it bends under the A40(T).
II Little Llanthomas
About 1.4km W of the church of St Catwg, in a hollow at the end of a long farm track leading off the N side of a minor road leading W towards Pen-y-clawdd.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Martin

A Grade II* Listed Building in Raglan, Monmouthshire

Coordinates