Church of St. Owain

Cadw's description

Location

At the south entrance to the village of Ystrad-owen just to the west of the White Lion PH.

History

Built in 1865-8, designed by John Prichard but said to be a close replica of the previous medieval church which was demolished completely (the tithe map of 1843 shows that it had the same outline). The church has been unaltered since apart from the whitewashing of the interior and the careful addition of a meeting room in c2000. The font is also an introduction from Llanbradach.

Exterior

Built of local blue lias limestone rubble, carefully coursed and squared, with Bath stone dressings and Welsh slate roofs; internally the church is faced in multi-coloured brick. Nave, chancel, south porch, west tower and north vestry and meeting room. Late C13 style. The nave is in three bays with a tall gabled porch in the centre. This has a pointed arch door with a dripmould, blind return walls, coped gables and apex cross. The porch is flanked by a trefoil headed lancet on the left and a 2-light Early English window on the right with trefoil in the head. Eaves brackets, coped gables, apex cross on the east gable. Lower chancel with roof details as before, plain 2-light window. East gable has a 3-light window with a circular cinquefoil in the head. The north wall has a small vestry with a tall medieval style chimney. Attached beyond this is a gabled meeting room in like manner and built of the same materials, 3-light window in the gable with lancets to the long wall. The north wall of the nave has three trefoil headed lancets as before and a Caernarvon headed doorway into the tower. Lights to the tower stairs in the west gable. Two stage tower with battered base. Two-light west window with quatrefoil head. Tall louvred openings on the east and west faces and and 2-light opening on the south face. Tall gabled saddleback roof with ridge cross.

Interior

The interior is very unaltered apart from the painting over of the patterned brick walls. All the furnishings are contemporary and complete. Octagonal font with pinnacled cover under the tower, which apparently comes from Llanbradach and therefore is from 1896-7. Plain chancel and tower arches with chamfer dying into the jamb. Arch-braced collar beam roofs, 3-bay to nave and 2-bay to chancel. One memorial survives from the previous church. Good grisaille glass in the east window.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as very complete Victorian church designed by John Prichard as a near copy of the previous medieval church.