Church of St Llwchaiarn

Cadw's description

Location

Situated at the end of a short lane to N off A 486.

History

1863-5 Anglican parish church by R J Withers, architect of London. Snecked grey rubble stone with Bath stone dressings, coped gables, slate roofs and red terracotta ridges. Nave, chancel and short W spire. Plate traceried High Victorian Gothic style. Complex W front with ashlar spire carried on a central projection with two big stepped buttresses oversailing a hipped lean-to W porch. Centre projection is broached to octagonal at ridge height under squat ashlar bell-stage with punched circular openings, short spire banded in grey stone with slightly bulbous outline.

Exterior

Nave has stepped buttresses, four 2-light windows to N and three to S. Chancel has one N 3-light, big E 3-light, and S 2-light. Window heads have foiled circles and pointed hoodmoulds. Diagonal E end buttresses. Chancel S has flat-roofed vestry and adjoining shallow gabled organ-chamber of 1935 by W D Caroe.

Interior

Six-bay nave roof with scissor trusses and cusping. Big chancel arch on detached, ringed column shafts. Panelled chancel roof. 1863 ashlar octagonal font and pews with punched roundels in bench ends. Damaged small medieval font in two pieces, a plain cylindrical shaft and a square bowl with two surviving carved heads at corners and on two sides remnant of arcading. 1935 limed oak chancel furnishings of high quality by Caroe, in an individual late Gothic to Renaissance style, including pulpit, stalls, rails, chair and prayer desk. Also the 1863 altar was encased and a lavishly carved reredos was added. c1990 organ. Some C20 stained glass, E window c1928, chancel N by Shrigley and Hunt 1937, chancel S 1960 of high quality by John Hayward and nave N c1950.