Parish Church of St Mary

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in the churchyard which is just NE of The Square, between Barclays Bank and No 1.

History

Anglican parish church of 1855-7 in a simplified Romanesque style using terracotta for dressings, unusually early for the region. The design was supplied for free by a holidaymaker, Thomas Clark (1819-99) of the noted clothier family from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, after plans from John Prichard of Llandaff and James Stone of Narberth had been deemed too expensive. Clark gave the design, visited 3 times to supervise and donated Cilgerran stone gatepiers to the churchyard, freestone for the mouldings of the W door and the communion table cloth embroidered by his mother. The principal aim of the design was economy and maximum space, and the cost was £1600. For this sum Clark achieved a 60' by 40' (18.3m by 12.2m)nave the wide span roofed in timber. The builder was James Hughes of Fishguard. There was a font for total immersion from the beginning, and the chancel was to be flanked by apsed 'chapels' intended as vestry and baptistery (though the latter was never built). Repairs are recorded in 1912 including new chancel windows.
The previous church was ruinous in 1825, though repaired in 1848-9.

Exterior

Anglican parish church in a simple Romanesque style. Stone rubble walls with grey limestone tooled quoins and yellow terracotta dressings, mainly surrounds to plain small arched lights (some replaced in Bath stone). Slate single roof with W bellcote, E end curved apse with tiny SE round-ended chapel. W end has small gabled bellcote, tiny gable roundel, 3 plain arched terracotta lights above a lean-to quasi-porch and a similar window each side. Clasping angle buttresses. Porch has very large arched doorway recessed back to main W wall with terracotta outer surround, but two inner orders separated by a deep chamfer are apparently stone, painted over. Inner order has a scallop moulding, outer order a leaf zig-zag. Double ledged doors with ornate hinges. Five-bay nave with pairs of arched lights to each bay and 2-step buttresses between. Chancel has curved apse but polygonal roof, 3 small lights to end, the centre one terracotta closely flanked by flat buttresses, the other 2 in grey stone. Also one N arched light. N buttress has carved face to NE and another, eroded, to W. SE 'chapel' has arched S doorway flanked by buttresses, terracotta surround coved in to ledged door with ornate hinges, curved apse with single arched light and 3-sided roof.

Interior

Unusually broad interior with 5-bay timber roof on deep arch-braced scissor trusses on low corbels. Triple purlins. Plastered walls with pointed arches over each pair of windows. W end gallery on 2 turned columns, with vertical panels to gallery front, the underside enclosed as a lobby. Octagonal painted stone font probably of 1857, chamfered underside to bowl and opposed chamfers on shaft. Timber Gothic pulpit with 5 traceried sides, c1945-50.
Pointed plastered chancel arch with plain capitals and thin Gothic timber screen of 1919. Chancel has Cilgerran stone shafts to apse windows, 2-bay roof with deep arched-braced trusses and pointed arch to apse. Stalls of 1919, communion rails and apse panelling of c1945-50.
A medieval fragment, of 2 tiny cusped lights built into S wall of nave has plaque inscribed: "The above stonework was found on the site of the ancient chapel of St Martin (Llanfartin) which stood within the boundaries of this parish".
Stained glass: Fine E window of 1986 'I am with you always', and W 3-light 'Peace be Still' of 1989 both by John Petts. Three other chancel windows: Christ and serviceman, Good Shepherd and Suffer the children) 1921 by Burlison & Grylls. Nave S 2nd (Feed my sheep) and 3rd (I was a stranger) 1920-1 by R Newbery, also probably by Newbery nave N 5th (Faith, Hope & Charity) c1925 and nave SW 1930 (Suffer the children) and NW c1930 (Light of the World). Nave N 3rd (Hannah & Eli) and 4th (Justice & Fortitude) by Powell of Whitefriars 1919, nave N 2nd and S 4th by Celtic Studios 1954 and 1970, also lobby roundel 1970. Roundel in W gable by - Crombie of John Baker of Weston super Mare 1992.

Reason for designation

Included as an unusual church design of the 1850s with remarkable broad roof span.