Church of St Bridget

Cadw's description

Location

To the west of the road between Penhow and Magor about 4.5km south west of Caerwent.

History

This was the parish church of a now deserted medieval village which dates probably from the C13. but only the tower and perhaps some of the footings survive from that period. The tower has a battered base to its walls, but the rest of the church does not. The nave, chancel and porch were all rebuilt following demolition of the medieval building in 1848, but the north aisle had already fallen before 1790 and the south aisle in c1812. The church is said to have been restored again in 1897, but it seems unlikely that much was needed after only fifty years. Little has happened to the chuch since then other than the complete re-roofing in concrete tiles in the late C20.

Exterior

The church consists of west tower, nave with north porch and chancel. It is constructed of fairly random limestone rubble with the Victorian work fairly close in character to the medieval tower, but slightly more mechanical in nature. Four bay nave with three lancets on either wall and a gap filled on the north wall by the porch, which is gabled with a pointed arch doorway with dripmould. Clasping corner buttresses, steeply pitched roof with raised stone verges and gable cross. The chancel has a blind north wall, two lancets and a pointed door in the south wall and a 2-light plate tracery window with quatrefoil head in the east gable. The roof has the same pitch as the nave but with lower ridge line, coped gable with apex cross. The tower is of three stages. The ground stage has a pronounced batter to the base of the walls and has a west lancet. The first stage has a single lancet for the ringing chamber on the north side and the bell chamber has a single light on each face and a paired lancet on the west wall. Steeply pitched saddle roof with coped gables.

Interior

The interior was not available for inspection at the time of resurvey but is believed to be plain with Victorian benches and furnishings, Norman bowl font. Principal rafter roof. The porch has a C15 type windbrace roof.

Reason for designation

Included for its architectural interest as a well-designed Victorian church with substantial medieval fabric in a very historic setting.