Church of St Eilian

Church of St Eilian

This grade I listed church comprises a 12th-century west tower with pyramidal stone spire, a late 15th-century nave with a southwest porch (thought to be an early 16th-century addition) and contemporary chancel, and a separate chapel set to the southeast, linked to the chancel by an enclosed passage. The tower and passage are rendered in roughcast, while the nave, chancel, and chapel are constructed of rubble with buttered pointing and ashlar gritstone dressings.

The massive square west tower rises in three stages with small louvred bell chamber lights, and is surmounted by a highly unusual pyramidal stone spire with a weather cock. The nave is articulated by angle and bay buttresses, each angled in the upper stage and capped at parapet level by crocketted finials. Consecration crosses are marked on each buttress, enclosed in circles approximately 30 centimetres in diameter and positioned 2 to 2.5 metres above ground level; there were originally 12 inside and 12 outside the church. The nave has a high crenellated parapet with roll mouldings. The southwest porch features similarly detailed parapet work and contains a south doorway within a shallow gabled porch; the arch is hollow chamfered with roll mouldings and hoodmoulds, while cambered trusses spring from corbel heads. Nave windows are of three foiled lights in shallow arches with hoodmoulds and a continuous sill band. At the southeast angle of the nave stands an octagonal stair turret, the rood-loft stair continuing to roof level. The north doorway has continuous hollow-chamfered mouldings unbroken by capitals. The chancel has a high sill band and simple foiled two-light windows to north and south with flat heads and hoodmoulds; the east wall is mostly rendered and contains a three-light east window in a steep hollow-chamfered arch with hoodmould. The parapet and buttresses of the chancel are similar to those of the nave.

The passageway linking the chancel to the chapel has a grouted slate single pitch roof and two tiny leaded lights. Stones in the wall bear the initials R P R and W K R H and the date 1614. The chapel of St Eilian is set at an angle to the main axis of the church but is similarly detailed with a moulded parapet and bellcote at its west gable. A two-light window in its southwest elevation has simple round-headed lights. The decorated east window contains three lights with its lower section blocked. The north wall of the chapel is blank except for a small doorway with chamfered arched head.

The interior of the church is largely late 15th-century. The steep chamfered arch at the base of the tower has 12th-century imposts to a 13th or 14th-century arch. The nave roof comprises four chamfered tie beams on wall plates sprung from moulded corbels surmounted by shield-bearing painted figures, with simpler intermediate ties carrying joists and a boarded ceiling.

The chancel arch is simply chamfered, and the church contains an exceptionally fine rood screen of late 15th or early 16th-century date. The screen has deep moulding over solid lower panels with four tall open panels on either side of central doors; the paired doors are arranged in three tiers with solid lower panels and open work arched upper panels. The cornice above is richly carved with stylised cones, flowers, and other decorative motifs. The loft is carried forward on ribbed, boarded coving upon which is painted the figure of a skeleton wielding a scythe inscribed with Welsh text "Colyn angau yw pechod" (The sting of death is sin). A double-tier frieze at the foot of the gallery repeats the cone motif; the gallery has moulded posts and a deep rail. The doorway to the rood stair is at the right of the screen.

The chancel roof has three cambered trusses carrying purlins and ridge beam, chamfered joists, and a boarded ceiling; tie-beams are carried on carved brackets sprung from shaped corbels surmounted by painted figures with musical instruments. Choir stalls, probably contemporary with the screen, are carved with simple tracery between heavy ribs; bench ends have foliated cross finials over two tiers of tracery. Three steps lead up to the sanctuary, which has a 19th-century wrought iron and wood rail and an encaustic tiled floor. A plain panelled reredos stands in the chancel, though the altar table itself is dated 1634.

A shallow arched doorway leads to the passage accessing the chapel. Wall memorial tablets dated 1739, 1805, and 1864 are located in the passage. The chapel is entered through a chamfered arched doorway (the original entrance) and has a roof similar in character to that of the chancel but with some floriate carving to the wall posts; it retains some remains of painted decoration at the east end. The chapel contains a fine solid ribbed wooden altar, said to have served as the saint's shrine before being dedicated as an altar table. A tomb slab to David Pugh, dated 1696, lies in the floor.