History
Anglican parish church rebuilt in 1876 to designs by Edwin Dolby of Abingdon. The first design was made in 1870, to cost £482, when the existing church was said to be in ruins. An engraving of the design shows a building with nave and chancel under one roof, whereas, as built, the chancel is stepped down. The new building respected the general arrangement of its predecessor in having nave, south transept, and chancel with south chapel, but the south chapel was built as a choir recess, reflecting local medieval tradition. The final cost was some £750-800. The quality of stonework and detail is unusually good for the region. Stained glass and some furnishings given by Percy Arden of Pontfaen in 1909. In the churchyard is the burial enclosure of the Gwynn family of Court and a ruined building at the entry.
Exterior
Parish church in simple Early English style. Rock-faced squared Preseli stone in large blocks interspersed with occasional square blocks of grey limestone, and with grey stone quoins. Yellow Ham Hill stone dressings. Small rough slate roofs. Nave with western bellcote, south transept, and chancel with lean-to south choir recess, each element carefully articulated. W end has narrow centre projection up to bellcote, with string course under a lancet with hoodmould. Bellcote has grey stone sides, 2 plain pointed bell-openings and coped gable. Nave N has pointed door to right, with broad roll-mould and column bases but no capitals. Board door with wrought iron hinges. Two pairs of lancets to left and stepped buttress at nave NE angle. Chancel N has one lancet to right, E end has 3-light plate-traceried window with pointed lights, roll-moulded, a trefoil in head of centre light, the side lights cusped with tiny blank quatrefoils over. Hoodmould and stone voussoirs. Chancel S lean-to with square-headed small 2-light S window. S transept has plate-traceried S 2-light with quatrefoil to head and stone voussoirs. Nave S has single lancet.
Interior
Exposed rough-dressed squared stone to walls with bath stone dressings to cambered-headed window reveals, and red tiled floors. Open rafter roofs designed to give polygonal profile; nave roof is 7-sided with straight braces to collars and angled struts from wallplate. Broad segmental pointed arch into S transept. Rafter roof with collars in transept and segmental pointed arch in E wall into chancel S lean-to, the jambs canted for line of sight, like medieval squint.
Pointed chancel arch with raised imposts. Polychrome encaustic floor tiles. Four-sided chancel roof, scissor-rafters with straight braces. Long timber lintel on corbels over S lean-to. Recess to south-east with seat and piscina under pointed arch, said to be restored medieval. E window reveal has segmental-pointed head. Reredos in ashlar with openwork Gothic head over 5 glazed encaustic tile panels, centre one with marble cross.
Fittings: Tiny square medieval font with 2 lunettes incised on each face, tapered to round shaft on square base (possibly shaft and base in one). C19 plinth. Simple pine pulpit with trefoil panels, pine pews and chancel stalls. Oak lectern and oak altar table with marble top, both of 1909. Plain chamfered altar rails. Original altar table in S lean-to.
Stained glass: E window Risen Christ and 2 angels; W lancet, St David, both by Heaton, Butler & Bayne, 1909. Attractive leading to original windows, small square panes and margin glazing.
Reasons for Listing
Listed for its special architectural and historic interest as a well-detailed small Victorian church of unusual quality, notable for the simplicity and coherence of its design, both in terms of composition and the use of materials, and of its relationship with a medieval predecessor.
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
Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
England's Post-War Listed Buildings
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)