Church of St. Gwawr

Location

Located to N and E of the B4403 in the small hamlet of Llangower.

History

Recorded in the Taxatio of 1291. The church was visited by John Wynne in 1729, who describes it as being in a somewhat ruinous condition. Recorded as being rebuilt in 1778 and 1782, and restored in 1871.

Exterior

Small rural church comprising continuous nave and chancel with S porch and W bellcote. Built of roughly coursed local stone; slate roof with ornate ridge tiles and rendered copings at W gable. Variations in the character of the masonry are clearly visible - much of the N and S walls are of a single build with the evidence of the eavesline being raised (probably in C19). The W end of both walls, however, is much less regular, and blocked openings are visible in the N wall, a doorway to W end and window to E. The E gable wall also shows clearly how the roofline was raised and the W wall is heavily rendered. Large stones are prominent at the base of the walls and as quoins and lintels; freestone dressings to E gable window. All windows have C19 timber frames, the E window has 3 trefoil headed lights in a pointed arched frame and the lateral walls have paired trefoil headed lights in square headed windows, probably C18, a stone above the central window in the S wall bears the date 1773. The porch has a pointed arched outer doorway of narrow voussoirs, the keystone bears the date 1866; the inner doorway has a boarded door with broad hinges.

Interior

The church has an exposed roof of 4 bays with arch braced collared trusses down to wall posts on shaped corbels. The fittings are C19 but the font pillar and base are C15; the bowl may be older. The E window bears a depiction of St. Gwawr and the easternmost window in the S wall St. Margaret.

Reason for designation

Listed as a small rural church that retains significant elements of the original Medieval church, and simple Victorian character.