Parish Church of St Mary

Cadw's description

Location

Located in a spacious churchyard between Queen's Square and Marian Road.

History

l7l6. Classical style. Aisled nave with remodelled medieval W tower. Romanesque apsidal chancel and restoration of l864.

Exterior

4 stage W tower, rubble masonry, clasping corner buttresses. Recessed crenellated parapet, string course; waterspouts to N and S. Round arched openings to bell stage, capped keystones, arch rings rest on moulded impost blocks, plain pilasters. Cross frame, louvres below transom. Clock faces to 2nd floor, string course. Round arched windows to lst floor N and S, detail as bell stage, Gothic glazing bars. Slit-like vice lights to right on N. Bolection moulded string course over plinth. Round arched doorway to S, long stone voussoirs. 5 bay aisled nave. Long, narrow, squared rubble, interlocking projecting quoins. Steeply pitched slate roof with broad cambered leaded apex. Cavetto eaves cornice. Bolection string course, rubble plinth. Doorcases to W end of N and S aisle elevations. Round arch, capped keystone, arch ring (missing to S) resting on moulded impost blocks, plain pilasters rise through plinth from moulded bases. Late Cl9 double doors. l7l6 architrave on ovolo brackets over S door frames Cl9 slate tablet with Welsh inscription commemorating renovation of l864, verse, and an englyn. Tall round arched nave windows; capped keystones, arch rings rest on moulded impost blocks, alternate reveal quoins project to form Gibbs like pilasters; ovolo moulded sills. Single, narrow round arched windows to W end of aisles, stone voussoirs.
Vestry of l828 set into NW angle with tower. Masonry as nave, hipped slate roof, cavetto eaves cornice, clasping pilasters, bolection string course, rubble plinth. Cross windows to N and S, detail as those on tower.
Apsidal chancel of l864. Masonry as nave, bolection string course. Flat leaded apex to slate roof. 3 freestone Romanesque windows. Smaller window to centre stepped up, nookshafts to those flanking.

Interior

Depressed timber barrel vault across whole width of interior, modillion cornice. Moulded collars to octagonal timber arcade piers, shafts round over collars with moulded square capitals. Early Cl9 inner porches. Good mid Cl4 recumbent effigy of Meuric ap Ynyr Fychan of Nannau, resited below easternmost window of N aisle. Wall monument of l726 to JaneáWynn to N aisle, E wall, segmental pediment, urns. Group of three Cl8 wall monuments of Nanney family to S aisle, mid Cl8 with pedimented architraves flanking l708 slate tablet with full arms. Numerous other Cl9 monuments. Victorian stained glass to aisle and chancel, chiefly cl860. Arched recess to W wall. Font contemporary with l864 restoration, but small alabaster font bowl of l651 survives. Roll moulded round chancel arch on corbels. Nookshafts to chancel windows, half domed ceiling. Spiral vice to tower; l809 peal of 8 bells.