Church of Saint Mary

Cadw's description

Location

On the N side of Brymbo.

History

The first church in Brymbo was built close to the centre of the village in 1837-8. By 1869, the building was found to be structurally unstable, and the present church was built in 1871-2, designed by T H Wyatt, and built by J Roberts of Chester. Principal benefactors of the church included the Marquis of Westminster, Robert Roy and Henry Robertson (local industrialists associated with the Brymbo Iron Works), The Westminster Company, and the Great Western Railway Company.

Exterior

Nave with transepts and apsidal chancel. Rock-faced stone, with free-stone bands and dressings; slate roof with gabled bellcote on E gable of nave. Robustly detailed Early English style. Gabled SW porch with short shafts on high bases to unchamfered arch. Similar inner arch, with panelled and glazed doors (designed by Alfred Waterhouse) removed from Eaton Hall c1950. Broad chamfered lancet windows to nave, grouped 2-3-3 between buttresses in N wall. Similar lancet windows in transepts, and to W end, which has simple geometric traceried rose window above. Hipped roof vestry and organ chamber in E angle of each transept. Apsidal chancel has broad hollow chamfered lancet lights with hood moulds carried on block corbels, and raised continuous sill bands.

Interior

Nave of 4 principal bays defined by scissor braced trusses on wall posts sprung from corbels; subsidiary trusses are also scissor-braced. Chancel arch has detached red sandstone shafts supporting roll-moulded inner arch, and unchamfered outer arch. Similar arch moulding but with engaged shafts to transepts and with trumpet capitals to former organ chamber in chancel. Chancel has pitch-pine herringbone boarded roof, with timber rib vaulting to apse. Heavy trefoiled sedilia. Encaustic tiled floor (traditionally said to come from Saint Giles Church Wrexham - though Thomas mentioned Maws floor tiles in 1872).

Fittings: Nave seating is probably contemporary with the church, but many of the other fittings appear to have been introduced c1916. These could be the work of Cecil Hare who was responsible for similar work at other churches in the area. These fittings include a fine chancel screen, with Perpendicular open-work traceried panels, and vinescroll frieze, and similarly detailed reredos; simple traceried dado panelling to chancel; organ by Rushworth and Draper. Pulpit probably introduced in the later C19: stone base supporting heavy open-work traceried timber panels; contemporary font with clustered shafts supporting quatrefoil basin was the gift of the builder of the church. Stained glass in E windows forms a series, in which the central window was given by the architect, and the flanking lights by Mary Roy, in memory of her husband, Robert.

Reason for designation

A simple Victorian Gothic church in which consistency of detail and composition produce a strong architectural character. Interior fittings also of considerable quality.