Church of St Mary

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the western edge of the modern village.

History

Medieval church mostly C14 reputedly on site of former manor of Gamages formerly dedicated to St Hilary, restored and with north aisle added in 1903 by Seddon and Carter architects of Cardiff.

Exterior

Nave, N aisle and vestry, S porch, W tower and longer lower chancel. Of roughly dressed and coursed rubblestone with ashlar dressings and Welsh slate roof. S porch has gabled stone tiled roof of altered pitch with coped verges and moulded round arched outer doorway with hood mould and plinth courses; inner pointed arched doorway with weathered mouldings; renewed stone and wood benches; coved ceiling renewed 1980's and niche above door temporarily revealed. Nave has raised coped verges with apex cross and stone, swept eaves; former higher roof- line visible on east face of tower; S window has two trefoil headed lights with rectangular hoodmould. Chancel has swept eaves; small roughly trefoil headed S lancet, pointed chamfered arched priest's door, 3 light E window with geometrical tracery; mostly diagonal buttresses with offsets. N aisle has trefoil headed lights. Tower has embattled parapet, 4 corner pinnacles with crockets, plain corbel table with drainage shoots; string course and shallow diagonal buttresses with offsets; attached stairtower to south with conical roof; small rectangular lights N and S, 2 light trefoil headed louvres to ringing chamber; 2 trefoil headed light west window with quatrefoil tracery under hoodmould; W four centred moulded arched doorway with narrow keystone inscribed WL above; shallow diagonal buttress with one offset.

Interior

Reroofed and refurbished in 1903. Segmental pointed chancel arch unmoulded but chamfered and stopped. Unusual west facing curved stone staircase to former roodloft through chamfered part remodelled archway, stairs now beginning 2m from ground level. Beside S door small chamfered ogee arched niche over part destroyed stoup and further square niche with C20 door. High tower arch only moulded/chamfered at arch level. Four centred arched doorway to tower stairs adjacent. Chancel has now unusual N door; all chancel openings have unrendered dressings and wide splays.

Furnishings: Wall monuments in chancel of 1783 and 1834. Possible traces of wallpainting over chancel and west arch and other traces of coloured limewash; medieval plaster may survive under later dense rendering. Grey painted stone commandment tables with black painted non-incised lettering reset in tower wall now barely legible. Doors may incorporate old metal fittings. One bell and bellframe not seen. Norman font, round bowl on a thick stem slightly splayed at base below moulded string. Stone flag floor to chancel. Some stained glass, some leaded diamond quarries in iron frames.

Reason for designation

Part of a complex comprising the farmhouse, farmyard and farm buildings of Manor House Farm and St Mary's church and churchyard.

Group value with neighbouring listed items at Manor House Farm.