St Paul's Church

Cadw's description

Location

Located 250m SE of the Afon Wnion and the A 494 in its own churchyard, at the end of a lane in the centre of Bryn-Coed-Ifor.

History

Small mid C19 church in restrained Early English style. By Henry Kennedy, architect of Bangor, whose plans and elevation sare dated April 1846; these show transepts which were neverexcecuted.

Exterior

Rubble with sandstone dressings and steeply-pitched slate roofs with decorative ridge-tiles; overlapping coping stones to gable parapets with diminutive cusped gablets at wall plate level. Set-back, stepped buttresses and continuous moulded plinth; carved stone crosses to E gables of nave and chancel. Stepped and gabled W end bellcote with plain celtic cross and 4-centred-arched bell opening. 2 narrow lancets to W end flanking a tall, central stepped buttress. Steeply-gabled S porch with surmounting cross as before. Pointed-arched entrance with roll and dog-tooth mouldings; bell capitals and shafts with moulded bases and moulded label with foliate carving to stops. Stopped-chamfered inner arch with contemporay plain iron gates; trefoil decoration. Squat trefoil lights, splayed and with triangular inner arches to porch sides. Plain chamfered entrance with decorative ironwork to the door; counterchanged red/black tiles to floor. Flanking the porch, 2 further lancets, that to the L with a small boarded door beneath (to sexton's store). Beyond that to the R a 2-light ogee-headed window. 3 lancets as before to N side of nave.

Stepped-down chancel with continuous moulded string course which steps up beyond a stepped buttress to the E and continues around the E end and N side. 2 smaller lancets to the L of the buttress with cusped heads and labels with foliate stops. Further, wider window towards E end. Plain E window with 3 lights and 3 oculi, a later replacement; moulded label stopped with carved heads. Contemporary vestry adjoins N side detailed as before withentrance to E gable; boarded door with ironwork and foliate stopsto label. Plain chimney arising out of a corner buttress at NW. Later brick boiler lean-to in extruded corner.

Interior

5-bay aisless nave with arch-braced collar truss roof,the long chamfered braces of which are carried on decorativecorbels springing below wall-plate level. Splayed windows with4-centred arched heads. Simple contemporary grained pine pews;plain octagonal font and quarry tiled floor. Good figurativestained glass throughout church, c.1895. Early C20 rood screenand pulpit in Arts and Crafts Perpendicular, in memory of Charles E. Jones-Owen of Hengwrt Ucha. Open tracery to upper section with carved bosses to cornice showing the Instruments of the Passion.
Dado with linenfold and plain panelling. To the N a pulpit projection with decoration as before and carved foliate cornice. Beyond this a carved dedication inscription in Welsh, in raised lettering. 2 carved trumpeting angels flank the entrance to the stepped-up chancel. These are on carved foliate corbels,with tracery canopies above. Scissor-truss roof to chancel and stained glass as before, that to the E window especially fine. Plain mosaic floor with Welsh inscriptions and decorative symbols in front of the raised altar. Plain oak choirstalls and post-War reredos and altar frontal. Fine marble mural monument on N wall in memory of the Reverend Evan Charles Owen, first incumbent of the church; by J. Edwards, sculptor of London, 1868, and depicting an angel in relief holding a palm branch. Arched entrance with oak door and ironwork to N, leading to a small vestry.
A restrained, well balanced mid C19 church with interesting roof design and good early C20 rood screen.

Reason for designation

Group value with the lychgate.