Church Of St David

Church of St David

Parish church. The building dates from the 14th century, largely rebuilt between 1869 and 1871 by F Preedy, except for the tower which survives from the medieval period. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar with Welsh slate roofs and cresting to the chancel.

The church comprises a west tower, a two-bay nave with south porch, and a two-bay chancel.

The west tower is 14th-century but thoroughly restored. It has a deeply moulded plinth, two external stages, and an embattled parapet with grotesque water spouts to the corners. Diagonal buttresses to the north-west and south-west extend into the upper stage. The top stage features a pair of ogeed openings with blind spandrels under recessed moulded square heads on each of the four sides. There is a chamfered newel loop to the right of centre in the upper stage of the south side. A deeply recessed loop sits above a restored two-light trefoil ogeed west window with quatrefoil in the tracery.

The north elevation of the nave has two pairs of trefoiled lights with blind spandrels under square heads. A weathered buttress and verge stand to the right-hand side. A similar buttress with a tall stack above separates the nave from the chancel. The east verge has a gable cross.

The chancel has one lancet to the left and a pair of lancets to the right-hand side, with a buttress to the left-hand corner, verge, and gable cross. The east elevation of the chancel has three stepped trefoiled lights recessed under an outer chamfered two-centred arch, with kneelers to the gable. The south elevation of the chancel has similar windows to the north side but they are separated by a priest's doorway with a two-centred head and continuous chamfers, together with a ledged door with strap hinges. A buttress separates the chancel from the nave. The windows of the nave are like those opposite except that the right-hand window has three lights. The west end of the nave has a kneeler with verge running into the tower.

The south porch has a double chamfered continuous arch with pyramidical stop to the bases of each order, flanked by weathered buttresses and a gable cross. Each return has a chamfered lancet. The two-leaved gates have saltire crosses forming open panels. The roof has scissor struts and stone side benches. The inner arches of lancets in the returns have broad heads with chamfers dying into the jambs. The south doorway has a two-centred arch with continuous chamfer and pyramidical stops, with two-leaved oak door with scrolled strap hinges.

Interior

The nave roof has corbels supporting wall posts and swept braces. The collars have king struts carrying raking struts. Between these and the principals are decorative infills in the form of cinquefoils and quatrefoils. The chancel roof is similar but with foliated corbels and no cinquefoiled and quatrefoiled infill in the trusses.

The chancel contains an octofoil drain, possibly medieval, re-set in the south-east window cill. A marble and tessellated reredos features an Agnus Dei flanked by angels. Stained glass in the east window depicts The Crucifixion, Annunciation, Visitation of the Shepherds and the Ascension. The north window depicts The Good Shepherd; the south window, the raising of Lazarus.

Oak communion rails have four trefoil-headed panels and trefoiled spandrels divided by turned shafts. A late 19th-century single manual organ with mahogany case features galvanised pipes and double-hinged brass sconces.

A brass altar cross is dated 1881 for Alan Cameron and has glass and ruby-coloured finials to the sides of the stem. Two wrought iron candlesticks with brass scrolled enrichments stand about five feet high.

Oak choir stalls and benches have trefoiled open panels. A two-panelled matching desk stands to the west end of the south side.

The chancel arch has a two-centred arch with three continuous orders and pyramidical stops. The nave has a tower arch with two continuously chamfered orders and low pyramidical stops. Above it to the left is a newel loop.

The pulpit is stone with a trefoiled projection in plan to the west. It is supported by clustered shafts with a moulded top and recessed band mid-way up the west side in the centre of which is a roundel with "IHS" set in deeply undercut foliations. A small quadrant-shaped seat sits inside.

The font is in similar style. It has a circular moulded base, cylindrical stem with tapered bowl, the latter having four roundels with crosses and a diving dove representing The Holy Ghost. The cover is oak with wrought iron flying ribs converging on a large brass cross.

Three free-standing candlesticks with brass scrolls similar to those in the chancel stand nearby. Two late 19th- to early 20th-century oil lamps sit on the west wall. Three chrome and frosted glass hanging lamps in Art Deco style, probably mid-20th century, hang from the ceiling.

Pine pews have scrolled oak ends in 17th-century style.

On the north wall is a white marble monument to the seven men of the parish who fell in the First World War. Beneath is a small memorial plaque to a Second World War fatality, John Hansard, a chief stoker, killed in "Charybdis" in 1944.

The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments states that some 13th and 14th-century windows from the previous church were partly re-used in the rebuilding.