Eglwys Sant Ioan/Church of St John

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on junction with The Avenue.

History

Anglican church built in 1889-90 to designs by Middleton, Prothero & Phillot of Cheltenham as the Welsh language church for the parish of St Peter. The foundation stone was laid on the 25th June 1889 by Bishop Edwards of St. Asaph. Thomas Collins of Tewkwsbury was the builder, and the cost £3041, on estimate of just over £2000. The church was opened on June 15th 1890 by the Bishop of St. Davids.

Exterior

Anglican church, Perpendicular Gothic style, rock-faced squared Llanelli stone with Bath stone dressings and slate roofs. Nave and aisles with nave E bellcote, N porch, N transeptal organ chamber, chancel of equal height with aisles. Coped shouldered gables. Nave has 3 flat-headed 3-light cusped windows to clerestorey. Four-light flat-headed windows to aisles with Tudor-arched uncusped lights, 2 to N with Tudor arched door to left and porch to right, 4 to S. Pointed 3-light W window, stepped buttresses and 2-light ogee-traceried flat-headed aisle W windows. N aisle has shouldered gabled porch at right with 4-centred doorway, spandrels carved with vine and passion-flower, and hoodmould. Relief shield and cross above. Similar doorway within, plank door, small traceried 2-light porch side windows. N transept has 2 tall flat-headed windows of 2 lights with ogee tracery and ashlar single octagonal chimney on ridge. Gabled ashlar bellcote between chancel and nave with 2 bell-openings. Chancel has large pointed 5-light E window with string course below, and single ogee-traceried flat-headed clerestorey light each side over aisles. Short N chancel aisle has 2-light ogee-traceried E window, matched by E window of full-length S aisle. Between nave and chancel are gabled buttresses, more prominent on S which has no transept.

Interior

Nave of 4 bays with double-chamfered pointed arches on octagonal piers with moulded caps, similar chancel arch, with low screen wall. Scissor truss roofs, plastered walls. Two-bay chancel S arcade, sedilia and shelf in chancel S wall. Black lettered inscriptions to nave and chancel, from the Jubilate Deo and Genesis in the nave, and from the Communion service in the chancel.
Carved stone reredos 1921. Total immersion font under floor at W end. E window of 1902 by A. J. Dix, designed by E. P. Warren, architect of Oxford, Christ and 4 Evangelists, chancel S aisle E window 1906, (or 1890) by Burlison & Grylls. S aisle SE window 1926, St Peter/ Good Shepherd, Light of the World, St John, and S aisle centre window. Loaves and fishes, c.1966, both by Shrigley & Hunt of Lancaster.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-designed late Victorian smaller town church.