Church of St Gwenllwyfo

Church of St Gwenllwyfo

A Gothic revival church of grade II* importance, comprising a nave of four bays with a two-bay chancel, a west tower in three stages with an ashlar broach spire, and a southwest gabled porch. The building is constructed of rubble masonry with gritstone dressings, including a continuous sill band and raking plinth with dressed quoins. The roof is slate with stone copings; the chancel roof features decorative iron ridge work.

The west tower's ground floor stage is fitted with offset angle buttresses. A single window in the west wall has the continuous sill band raised as a hoodmould above it. A raking stepped cornice leads up to the middle stage, where each outer facing wall contains a narrow rectangular light with engaged pilasters echoing the buttresses at the angles. The bell stage sits above a shaped string and displays paired louvred lights with hoodmoulds to each face. The tower is surmounted by a tall ashlar spire.

The nave features single and paired pointed arched windows with hoodmoulds. The south wall of the chancel has similar windows with facial stops to the hoodmoulds, while the north wall contains a single trefoil-headed window with hoodmould with facial stops. The chancel east window has three trefoil-headed lights with cusped tracery in a pointed arched frame and a hoodmould with floriate stops. Offset to the south of this window is a blocked doorway with a lambs tongue stop and chamfered jambs. The east end of the chancel has offset angled buttresses. The southwest gabled porch has a pointed arched entrance of two broach stop chamfered orders with flanking angle buttresses.

Interior

The nave comprises five roof bays with an exposed roof of arch braced collared trusses descending to wall posts on shaped corbels. A pointed arched doorway leads to the west tower vestry. The chancel is raised by one step and has closely spaced braced collared trusses. The chancel arch is pointed with broach stop chamfered angles and a hoodmould with facial stops; the inner arch is moulded with floriate capitals on engaged pilasters set on shaped corbels. The sanctuary is raised by three steps with a moulded sanctuary rail on cusped crossed braces and stick balusters. Fittings date from the mid-19th century.

The north wall of the nave displays a monumental brass plaque reset from the east wall of the old church. The plaque depicts Richard Williams and his wife Marcelie, their daughter Anne and their two sons William and Griffith, all kneeling in prayer on cushions with tasselled corners. Above them are three heraldic shields showing the characteristic Welsh practice of ascribing different arms to father and son. Below the figures is an inscription in Roman capitals.

Numerous marble memorials dating from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries commemorate members of the Neave, Hughes and Dinorben families of the Llys Dulas estate. A slate slab foundation stone laid by Miss Gwen Gertrude Hughes of Llys Dulas records the date 1851. The north and south walls of the nave are adorned with diamond-shaped coats of arms of the Llysdulas family, which are funerary hatchments originally placed on the mansion during the lying in state of deceased family members and subsequently brought to the church. These include the hatchments of Lord Dinorben, Lady Dinorben and Sir Arundel Neave.

The most notable feature is a collection of 27 Flemish stained glass panels dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, installed in the windows of the nave and chancel.

The east window contains a cinquefoil light in the apex made of fragments from a memorial chapel to Pope Adrian VI at Louvain, with flanking trefoils below depicting angels with musical instruments. The main three lights are composed of separate panels: the central light shows the Crucifixion with the Holy Trinity above and the Arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane below; the left light depicts Jesus brought before the High Priest above the Adoration of the Magi; the right light shows one of the Stations of the Cross above a rare Return from Egypt panel.

Other windows in the nave and chancel contain individual or paired panels. The chancel windows include panels depicting the Virgo Lactans, Mary Magdalen washing Christ's feet, the Raising of Lazarus, and a rare depiction of the resurrected Jesus wearing a straw hat. The nave windows include a notable design by Bernard van Orley, court painter and prolific designer of tapestries and stained glass for Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands at Mechelen, depicting Wealth, Ignorance, Envy and Militarism mocking Christ in the palace of the High Priest. Additional windows contain Saints and Prophets, the Holy Family and Agnus Dei. The oldest piece of glass in the church is York glass of the late 14th or early 15th century; most other panels show characteristic Flemish motifs and were made at Mechelen around 1522.