Parish Church of St James

Cadw's description

Location

Located on a raised, near-circular site in the centre of the village; its churchyard contains two ancient yew trees.

History

Parish church on a probable Celtic Llan site. The church was first mentioned in 1284 and in the 1291 Taxatio is recorded as having had an annual income of £2 13s 4d (£2.68p). In 1336 the revenue was transferred to the vicars choral and the cathedral; by 1537 the rectory had become part of the Bishop's private estate. The church was partially rebuilt in 1777 and the extension by one bay to the E (as evidenced by a masonry break on the N wall) probably belongs to this period. It was again comprehensively restored by the Denbigh architects Lloyd Williams and Underwood in simple Gothic style in 1860-1862; further restoration was implemented in 1875 and 1879. All external character and detailing belong to this period.

Exterior

Small rectangular parish church of single-cell type. Of rubble construction with C19 tooled limestone dressings and slate-hung S and W faces. Slate roof with decorative tiled ridge, deep verges and plain bargeboards; iron gable cross to E. Two-stage W bellcote with slab-coped gable and buttressed sides; this has a double inner arch and 4-centred bell opening with surmounting gable cross. Gabled S porch with plain buttresses to the sides and pointed arched entrance; this is chamfered and broach-stopped and has a roll-moulded label terminating in carved head stops. Modern wire bird doors and boarded inner door to pointed arch, with decorative ironwork; counter-changed porch floor in red and black tiles. The porch return walls each have a cusped trefoil window.

To the R of the porch are three S windows, with a further one to the L; these are of simple cusped lancet type with leaded glazing. Similar windows to the N side and to the E where there is a triple lancet group, the central window of which is higher. The W end has a large rose window containing 4 small, cusped oculi. A lean-to vestry adjoins flush with the W gable on the N side. This has a catslide roof and a 2-light plain chamfered mullioned window to its E side. A boiler-house lean-to adjoins to the N with boarded door facing E.

Interior

Single-cell plan with continuous nave and chancel. Six-bay arched-braced collar truss roof, of thin scantling with bolted braces. The trusses appear to have originally been of tie-beam and raking strut type, and probably relate to the 1777 restoration; the arched braces appear to be 1860s additions. Plain pine pews on raised wooden plinths and with central counter-changed red/black tiled pavement. Octagonal Perpendicular-style font on stone pavement section towards W end. Of limestone, this has an octagonal plinth and base and wooden font cover with decorative ironwork. Semi-octagonal pulpit of pine with simple open tracery panels to the front; this has a chamfered, tooled limestone plinth with a flight of 3 wooden steps from the S.

The chancel is contained within the eastern-most bay and has a stepped-up pavement; pine altar rails with scrolled ironwork supports. Carved oak reredos in early Decorated style with crenellated brattishing and both zoomorphic and foliated brackets. Crocketted and gabled panels flank the E window group; blind Y-tracery with rosettes, carved geometric decoration and blind quatrefoils below. On the jambs flanking the central E window are placed carved female saint sculptures, on column bases with small canopy niches. Polychromed tiled dado in octagonal framed arrangements, with 2 on either side of the central altar; these bear the Alpha and Omega symbols, together with Christ's monograms. The reredos is inscribed (on the dado rail) with a dedication to 'Katherine Rawlinson, wife of Meilir Owen, Tan-y-Gwrt,' and is dated 1870.

Monuments: on the N wall is a simple classical funerary tablet of limestone on a black coloured base: to Frances Roberts of Mysevin, d.1831, Mary, d.1835, Mary, also d.1835 and Joseph, d.1835. On the same wall is a simple white marble tablet (on a black coloured limestone base) to Margaret Edwards of Plas Nantglyn, d.1835.

Glass: triple lancet E window group with figurative glass in Decorated style, showing scenes from Christ's Passion; by O' Connor, signed and dated 1861. Three S windows are in memory of Katherine Rawlinson (as is the retable), and were installed in 1872; they depict figurative scenes of charitable acts. The western-most southern window is dedicated to Ellen Owen, 1895, and is signed 'Alexander Gibbs and Co., Bloomsbury St., London.' Finally the W rose window depicts SS Peter, Paul, John and James, each within his own quatrefoil panel: in memory of Jane, wife of Aneurin Owen, 1877.

Adjoining the N side at the W end, and accessed from the church via a plain boarded door is a vestry. Within is an C18 incised slate benefactors' board, together with an early inscribed stone.

Reason for designation

Listed as a medieval parish church retaining significant original fabric and retaining much simple gothic character internally and externally, relating to its mid-Victorian restoration.