History in Structure

Church of St Michael the Archangel

A Grade II* Listed Building in St. Athan (Sain Tathan), Vale of Glamorgan

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.4211 / 51°25'15"N

Longitude: -3.4152 / 3°24'54"W

OS Eastings: 301692

OS Northings: 170068

OS Grid: ST016700

Mapcode National: GBR HM.PMNH

Mapcode Global: VH6FG.RJCY

Plus Code: 9C3RCHCM+CW

Entry Name: Church of St Michael the Archangel

Listing Date: 3 September 2004

Last Amended: 3 September 2004

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 83115

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: St Michael's Church, Flemingston

ID on this website: 300083115

Location: In the centre of Flemingston village.

County: Vale of Glamorgan

Town: Barry

Community: St. Athan (Sain Tathan)

Community: St. Athan

Locality: Flemingston

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Church building

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Saint Athan

History

Perhaps C13 in origin, and much of the core walling is medieval, but with much rebuilding and refacing in the Victorian restoration of 1858 which, on stylistic grounds, was probably undertaken by John Prichard, the diocesan architect. The south chapel was built as a funerary chapel for the Fleming family in the early C14. All the external features are Victorian, except possibly the south chapel gable window, as are the internal fittings and furniture, but the timber roofs are C15. The bells date from 1858.

Exterior

Built of local lias limestone rubble with dressed ashlar quoins and features, and Welsh slate roofs. Nave with bellcote, chancel, south porch and south chapel (now vestry). Much of the exterior is Victorian in character and the west gable wall seemingly wholly so. This has buttresses with offsets, two lancets with cusped heads and dripmoulds below a quatrefoil. Coped gable rises to double gabled bellcote with both gables carrying crosses. The south nave wall has a lancet and a plain gabled porch. The south chapel has a lancet on either wall and a 3-light Decorated window in the gable. The chancel, which is slightly lower than the coped east gable of the nave, has a pointed arch priest's door flanked by lancets on the south wall, a 2-light Decorated window with cusped lights and a wheel head in the coped east gable and a blind north wall with attached Victorian chimney. The nave north wall has an offset buttress at the east end as before and two paired lancets.

Interior

The interior is plastered and painted except for the revealed stone features. The chancel arch and south chapel arches are a Victorian rebuild. Three bay roof to nave, C15 with Victorian repair and boarding, arched braced collar trusses with three tiers of curved windbraces. The bay which was above the Rood screen is ceiled. Collar purlin with carved bosses. Similar two bay chancel roof, all open. The furniture is all Victorian. The font is a square late C13 one on a circular stem. Windows by Clayton and Bell. Fine early C14 monument in a colonnetted niche in the south chapel to Joan le Fleming. Monument to Edward Williams (Iolo Morganwg, stonemason, bard and antiquary, died 1826) erected in 1858. The chapel interior was not seen at resurvey.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special interest as a medieval church which, despite a heavy Victorian restoration, survives with good character and a fine roof.

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.

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