Church of St Michael and All Angels

Cadw's description

Location

About 300m west of the junction with the A4042 on the north side of New Inn.

History

An apparently medieval church the early origins for which are indicated by some fabric and the evidence for the Rood screen. The other C16 features are the waggon roofs, but these could well be post-Reformation. The south porch is dated 1756; this may refer to the porch alone, or to a more considerable rebuilding. The church was restored in Victorian times and also in 1904, all the fittings and furniture seem to be late C19 type, as are the windows. The church is probably untouched since 1904 apart from reroofing.

Exterior

Externally distinctive as one of the few churches to continue the traditional practice of limewashing the stone rubble walls. Concrete tiles imitating stone slates, except for the north slope of the nave which is artificial Welsh slates. Nave with bell turret on west gable, chancel, south porch, north vestry. Small two cell country church with very little that's datable about the exterior. The windows are possibly all Victorian and are not an aid to dating. The nave has a two light Decorated window with cusped heads on the south and a two light one of C17 character on the north. Plain pointed arch with hollow chamfer to west door. Plain bell turret with two bell openings and gabled roof. Small cross on east gable. Gabled south porch with bargeboards, and pointed arch with hollow chamfer. The chancel has a single light window with cusped head on the south and on the north. The east window is a three light Perpendicular one with dripmould over. The smoothness of the gable wall looks as if it were rebuilt at the time of the dated glass in 1889. The east gable is buttressed.

Interior

Plain plastered interior with light waggon roofs to both nave and chancel and of such similar character as to suggest strongly that they are contemporary. They rest on moulded wall plates and have narrow ribs with six petal roses as bosses. The west end has a narthex with three pointed arch openings with hollow chamfers. The pews are all late C19 or even 1904, as is the pulpit and probably the font. The pulpit is reached via the vestry through the archway which led originally to the rood stair. The east window in the style of Burne-Jones is dated 1889 and is a memorial to Mary and Margaret Jones. The south window is a memorial to David Walkinshaw, the founder of the Pontypool Free Press, and is dated 1901. There is a memorial to Christopher Cook, incumbent 1851-1926, seventy-five years being the longest incumbency in the history of the Church in Wales.

Reason for designation

Graded II* as a distinctive church of medieval origin.