Llandinam Presbyterian Church with front enclosing railed wall

Cadw's description

Location

Located c.180m S of the village centre, within a railed enclosure with its gable facing the road.

History

Calvinistic Methodist chapel built in 1872-3 by Szlumper and Aldwinkle on land donated by the Crewe-Read family, with funds largely supplied by David Davies. The original rectangular building, with a schoolroom set across the rear, was successfully extended before 1896 by transepts to each side.

Exterior

Built in a late French Gothic style (contemporary description), of rockfaced stone with limestone ashlar dressings, slate roof and clayware crestings. West front has 4 grouped lancets with moulded heads and columns, and a circular window with radial tracery above. Below the windows is an arcaded string course between the corner buttresses, which terminate in small pyramidal spires. Below the string, four quatrefoil windows. Nave windows altered. Transepts, which are lower, have elaborate dentilled cornices and triple lancets to the gables containing elaborately leaded glass. The school has varied stone-dressed windows, one blind on the S, 4-light to the N, and shouldered headed lights to the E. The main entrance to the church has a moulded arch on shafted columns with stiff-leaf capitals, and a floriated cross in the tympanum, all within a gabled porch.

Interior

Nave of 3 bays, comprising a timber boarded roof on 2 moulded timber arches carried down to stilted wall stiff-leaf corbels. Moulded stone arches with huge fleurons, to side transepts. Walls plastered, with arches to low W windows.3 banks of raked seating divided by 2 aisles. High above the pulpit, a decorative arch above with blind 8-lobed wheel tracery and diapered tilework chamfered sill.
The pulpit is of varnished pine, with canted panels and dog-tooth cornice. Iron supports to the handrail over 4 curved steps. The pews, also in varnished pine, have brass umbrella keeps and front book desk with perforated roundels. The organ, by P.Conacher of Huddersfield, reset in the S transept, has coloured and gilded pipes on a coved gallery, with openwork timber pendants.

The enclosing front wall has cast iron railings incorporating a cross symbol, set on a chamfered stone wall with ashlar terminal and gate piers, the piers having a 2-stage chamfered top and an iron lantern lighting the approach path.

Reason for designation

Included as a well preserved and very successfully designed chapel, located near the centre of the village, with connections with the Davies family of Llandinam.