Church of St Francis Xavier and St David Lewis

Cadw's description

Location

To N of 24 Porthycarne Street, in small churchyard which backs onto Usk Castle.

History

Built 1847 by Charles Hansom, architect (1816-88); tower added by same architect 1865. Hansom and his brother Joseph (inventor of the famous "patent safety cab") were themselves Roman Catholics and in partnership and separately produced many of the churches made possible after the Catholic Emancipation Act of the early C19. Charles Hansom was based at Bristol where his best known building is Clifton College. The church was funded and built on land given by Francis McDonnell JP of neighbouring Plas-newydd, and his wife is buried at the church.

Exterior

Church with nave and S aisle of 4 bays, chancel, vestry, N porch, N tower. Old red sandstone, coursed, bathstone dressings, slate roofs. Decorated Gothic style. Three-light Geometrical style W window. Gabled porch with diagonal buttresses, quatrefoil window to R wall, stone benches inside; narrow Gothic doorway to church with stoup to R. Two 2-light plate tracery windows between porch and tower. Later tower has steep pavilion slate roof with lucarnes, 2-light Decorated style windows to bellstage which is recessed with angle buttresses. Vestry at NE corner with chimney, 2-light dormer, 3-light ground floor window. Clasping buttresses to E end; three light Geometrical style E window. North aisle has four 2-light plate tracery windows; similar window to W end of aisle.

Interior

Nave roof with thin scissor braces and wall posts. Four bay arcade to S aisle with octagonal piers. Inner order of chancel arch on floral corbels; wagon roof to chancel. Stained glass; E window of risen Christ flanked by Saints by Hardman (1857), chancel S window Boy presented to Virgin also by Hardman circa 1862; in S aisle E window, Annunciation by Wailes (1850s); SE window of aisle has Saints by H Beiler of Heidelberg (circa 1908).

Reason for designation

Early example of C19 Roman Catholic church by prominent architect.