Church of St David

Cadw's description

Location

Immediately east of Howell’s School in a small churchyard alongside the lane.

History

A church was built here in 1838-40, designed by the younger Thomas Penson. As early as 1856, however, John Williams noted that whilst the design itself was good, 'the masonic work reflects lasting disgrace on the hands that put it together'. In 1894-5, this building (excepting the tower) was pulled down and rebuilt, by R Lloyd Williams.

Exterior

West tower, nave with narrow passage aisles, transept and chancel. Early gothic style. Roughly coursed and squared stone to tower, snecked stone elsewhere. Steep slate roofs. 3-stage west tower, with angle buttresses, and main entrance in N face; wide west window, and smaller lights in second stage. Paired foiled lights to bell-chamber above; embattled parapet with crocketted finials at angles. Nave has broad lancets in west wall flanking tower, and is articulated as 5 bays by buttresses, which also serve to articulate and terminate the aisles (which begin one bay in from west end). Broad lancet windows to aisles, and plate traceried clerestory lights. North transept has stepped triple lancet window to N, and gathered chimney with cylindrical shaft. The original foundation stone of 1838 was relaid in 1894 in the transept. Porch in NE angle has double chamfered moulded archway with hoodmould beneath asymmetrical gable. Very high chancel (accommodating falling ground to east) with high-set windows (broad lancets with hood moulds) linked by continuous sill band, and stepped triple lancet to east, also with hood mould.

Interior

A spacious transeptual interior of wide span (perhaps using the footprint of the earlier church), the width of the nave accentuated by contrast with the narrow aisles. Polychrome brickwork in red and yellow. Main entrance through narrow archway from tower, which has stairs to small ringing platform: this somewhat unusual entrance arrangement is presumably a legacy of the original design, which perhaps featured a full galleried interior. 3-bay arcade to narrow aisles. Simple chamfered arches to arcade, transepts and chancel. Complex boarded roof to nave, shaped, and coved below collar. Transepts and chancel have boarded keeled roofs. Richly decorated chancel with wrought iron and copper screen, tile-work and alabaster reredos (The Last Supper). Alabaster font, marble pulpit. Fine series of stained glass including aisles, N and S chancel windows and S transept window (the latter of 1895), by Ballantine and Gardiner and J Ballantine and Son; the E window is reused from the earlier church, commemoration date, 1857.

Reason for designation

Though incorporating the tower of its early C19 predecessor, the church is notable as a late C19 essay in gothic, with a richly detailed interior.