Church of St. James

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the N side of Church Street in the centre of Wick Village. Located in a roughly rectangular churchyard.

History

The Church of St. James dates from the early C12 and was originally a chapel. It was given to Ewenny Priory in the late C12 on condition that 3 weekly services were held. By the late C16 it appears to have been annexed to St. Brides Major. In 1835 it was said to be a curacy attached to St. Brides, and this continued until 1950 when Wick, Marcross and Monknash were linked together to form one benefice. The church underwent major restoration c 1871, under the direction of John Prichard the diocesan architect. The cost was £900. Most of the walls of the nave were rebuilt, while the tower and chancel were partially rebuilt. The porch and vestry were added at this time.

Exterior

Small church in Early English style with some Norman features. W Tower, nave, chancel, S porch and vestry. The earliest fabric is rubble masonry, whilst the C19 rebuilding is in snecked stone with pale grey stone dressings including quoins and corbelled eaves. Slate roofs. Windows are C19 in Early English style; pairs of cusped lancets under stone relieving arches.

Slender 2-stage tower with saddleback roof. Angles rebuilt C19 with quoins. The E and W gables each have 2 narrow louvres, one below the other. At a high level on the N side is a circular opening under a gabled hoodmould, said to have been a chimney flue. To the S side is square headed lancet at a high level.

The S elevation of the nave is dominated by the porch to the L of centre. It is gabled with corbelled eaves with a chamfered pointed arched entrance. C20 half-lit planked door. Memorial slabs are fixed to its W wall. One pair of windows to the L of the porch and 2 to the R. The S wall of the chancel is in rubble masonry. Roughly central priests door under a chamfered Tudor-arched head. Wood planked door with ornate strap hinges. To L is a small Norman round-headed lancet in heavy surround. To R of door is a larger C19 window in a similar style under a hoodmould.

The E end of the church is set onto a plinth. Square headed E window of 3 lights under a square hoodmould with foliate stops. Each light has a round arched head and several orders of mouldings. The N side of the chancel has been mainly rebuilt in the C19 and there are no windows. The vestry is orientated E-W and abuts the W half of the chancel. It has paired lights to the E end. The N side of the nave has 2 pairs of lights as on the S side.

Interior

Simple interior. Arch braced roofs to nave and chancel. Wide splayed reveals to openings. Round arch to main S doorway is Norman, below which is the C19 door. Pointed arched doorway to tower with planked door. Round Norman chancel arch on imposts flanked by round-arched squints. The altar has a raised Medieval altar slab. To each side are Early English-style niches. That to the L with a pointed gabled pediment with cusping, over a cusped head with broach stops to the columns. The R niche has a segmental arched head with cinquefoiled frieze below. The door to the vestry has a pointed head.

Norman tub font with rope moulding. C20 pulpit. The E window contains stained glass in memory of Edward Williams, d. 1940 and other members of his family. The S chancel windows have red marginal glazing. On the N chancel wall is a memorial to Frances Hewett, born 25th January 1798, who died aged 30. It is in the form of a lady leaning against an urn in white alabaster with a black background. On the S wall is a tablet to the Rees family, c 1800, and a memorial to Catherine Spencer of Wick who died in 1809. Above the pulpit is a C18 memorial to the Lloyd family, one of whom was the rector at Coychurch. It is a tablet between columns supporting an entablature. Memorial to Margaret Davies and family above the tower door.

Reason for designation

Listed grade II* as a small rural church with early C12 origins. The interior, with its Norman and Early English features, is of particular interest.