St. Kentigern & St. Asaph Parish Church

Cadw's description

Location

Set back at the bottom of the street in irregularly shaped churchyard.

History

Built to serve the parish (which the Cathedral nave unusually did not).

Exterior

Small double-naved church of mainly Perpendicular style with earlier Gothic origins, of raised wall heads and lancet window. S porch, N vestry and W bellcote are by Sir George Gilbert Scott who carried out a full restoration in 1872; futher minor restoration by Gronwy Griffith in 1911. Mixed random and coursed rubble masory, mainly red sandstone to S and grey limestone to N. slate roof, wave moulded gable parapets with quarter round rope-moulded kneelers and crucifix finials. Slightly ramped base to S side. Perpendicular hood moulds, some with head stops and casement mouldings throughout.

Twin gabled E and W ends. 5 light SE panel tracery window, more pointed double cusped 4-light NE window sub-divided above transom. Double cusped 3-light SW window over entrance with casement and roll mouldings, boarded double doors with strapwork hinges. Plainer 3-light window to NW. 4-light double cusped ogee windows to S side. to N, 3-light window and 2-light segmental headed window beside gable ended vestry with ogee windows, angle buttresses and tall ashlar chimney stack with stellar flue; 1 blocked window to NW.

The churchyard retains a good collection of C17, C18 and C19 reset tombstones dating back to 1618.

Interior

Interior retains 5-bay arcade of 2 order, chamfer and cavetto, arches on quarterfoil piers with deep hollows and moulded capitals. Hammerbeam roof to S (known as St Asaph's Church) with heart shaped shields, stop chamfered beams, roll-moulded 4-tier purlins and rafters with some bosses; arched collars with decorative openwork cusping above. Formerly had a rood loft to central bay, of large stone corbels and lancet window with deep splay; removed in 1872 with 3-decher pulpit and N aisle gallery. Carved timber reredos and Gothic traceried choir stalls and pulpit dated 1872. Remains of a decorated double piscina. Possibly romanesque font bowl beside inner porch with crenellated parapet. False hammerbeam roof to N (known as St Kentigern's Church) with long-pegged trusses and plainer detail. S aisle has Lloyd family monuments, one of baroque style ca 1712 with segmental pediment and festoons, Hanoverian oil on panel coat of arms (? George III) over S doorway. Foulkes family classical monument further W dated variously from 1717 to 1746. N aisle has fine monument to Thomas Humphreys of Bodelwyddan (died 1698), oval tablet with surrounding putti holding back drapery. Victorian stained glass including eastern most window to S side by Kempe and Tower dated 1912 and another by H Hughes of 1877.

Reason for designation

Group value with churchyard walls and sundial and listed items in the High Street.