St. Matthew's Church

Cadw's description

Location

Gable end forward to street with raised churchyard flanking sides and rear. One the site of the medieval chapel of St John the Baptist, rebuilt 1823-4 to designed by Wm Jernegan.

History

Existing church 1886. By Bucknall and Jennings, architects of Swansea, possibly incorporating some earlier fabric. Mixed Romanesque and classical style.

Exterior

Raised E gable with moulded cornice and kneelers, Celtic cross to apex; coursed rubble, freestone dressings; quatrefoil over round-headed containing arch with impost bands and architrave ground. Stepped 3-light window with unusual colonnettes, fluted bands etc topped by volutes. Polygonal S porch with hipped roof to classical doorway, tall round arch windows with thin roll mouldings to side elevations.

Narrow gabled (roofless) porch rising above N eaves, coursed rubble (not bonded), droved quoins. Tall round arch with long and short quoins and (blocked) square-headed doorway to rubble infill. Quatrefoil to gable apex, blind tablet under; round-arched bell openings to upper sides. Pedimented and pilastered arch to W gable bellcote, giant arch treatment under with architrave linked to impost band; 5-light W window with stepped lights as E window, lean-to porch with heavy parapet below.

Unaisled nave interior with open boarded roof and tie beams with thin Gothic braces, panelled gallery front with Corinthian cast-iron columns to W end. Triple-arch treatment to E end, tall chancel arch with architrave and square piers flanking side arches.

Low churchyard walls attached along street front with outer gateways, rusticated piers and segmental caps, ironwork gates plus arched lantern bracket over left hand gateway.