Church of Saint Mary

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently sited on rising ground at the head of Saint Mary's Street.

History

Large C13 W tower; the rest rebuilt in C13/14 style on original foundations, 1879 by John Middleton and Son of Cheltenham. Rubble stone with slate roofs, aisleless nave with paired gabled transepts, coped gables and long lower chancel.

Exterior

Fine square tower with angle buttresses on W side and square stair turret to SE with corbelled parapet. Tower parapets step up at angles; paired small bell-lights to W and N. High plinth course on N and W sides, interrupted for apex of moulded, pointed W doorway; above doorway is C19 square headed 2-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould. Fine weathercock to top of tower.

South side has 2 windows to nave, 2 light with quatrefoil heads and hoodmoulds, plate tracery, 2 windows to transept ends, long 2-lights with cusped quatrefoil heads, and three cusped lancets to chancel sides. Large 4-light E window with two paired quatrefoil-headed lights and sexfoil above. North side is similar but low lean-to vault-entry against chancel, stone coped projection in angle between chancel and transept and one window to nave with big gabled porch to right, moulded shafted pointed arch, quatrefoil panel above, rafter roof and moulded pointed inner door. Plank door with ornate wrought-iron hinges.

The church had lower roofs but still the paired transept gables in 1787 view but in 1834-5 it was much altered, to plans of John Morgans, with small-paned pointed windows inserted throughout, single broad transept gables, gallery inside, box pews and plastered flat ceilings.

Interior

Big chamfered tower arch with ornate glazed 8-panel C19 timber screen. C20 glazing above. Piscina with ogee head in S tower pier. Nave has 6-bay arch-braced collar truss roof on ashlar corbels, rere arches to windows. Fine C12 scalloped square font on column base. Paired arches to transepts on quatrefoil columns and wall corbels. Transept roofs carried on axial timber arch-braced beam carrying uprights to upper valley beam. Nave pulpit on quatrefoil shafts. Chancel has C20 Gothic woodwork including stalls, communion table and E end panelling.
E window ca1890 stained glass of 4 Evangelists, lancets each side have ca1879 attractive glass by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, painted quarries with C15 and C16 medallions incorporated. Other two N side windows have glass of ca1911 and ca1935, S side has 1911 W light. Some C19 wall plaques including one to Rev W G Hughes (d 1824) and, on N side, a 1902 brass portrait relief to Evelyn Alderson, signed (?) T Molock.

Reason for designation

Group value with other listed items below Newport Castle.