Church of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a small, rural Medieval church, likely dating to the 14th century, with a long nave, a shorter, lower chancel, and a later south porch and north vestry. The church is constructed of rubble masonry laid in rough courses, with the west wall showing evidence of repointing, and part of the nave resting on boulder foundations. It has a slate roof with stone copings and shaped cross gable finials, a west gable bellcote, and the north vestry features a dressed stone stack with ogee shaped openings.

The main entrance is on the south side, offset to the west end of the nave, and is accessed through an added porch. The doorway itself is thought to be from the 15th or 16th century, with a round head and quarter round moulded jambs. To the left (west) of the doorway is a small trefoil-headed light within a square frame. A similar window is in the apex of the west gable. To the right (east) are two rectangular windows, each with three trefoil-headed lights. Similar windows flank the 14th-century north doorway, which has a pointed arched head and quarter round moulded jambs. The south chancel window has a similar appearance but with only two lights. A blocked 17th-century window with two lights is visible on the right side of the chancel. The 15th-century east window has three cinquefoil-headed lights within a pointed arched frame with a hood mould. The north vestry features a simple pointed arched doorway with chamfered jambs, alongside a single rectangular light in the east wall.

Inside, the church boasts an exposed roof with arched braced collared trusses supported by shaped corbels. The nave has eight bays, the chancel three. The sanctuary is covered by a wagon barrel roof with recessed panels. The church’s fittings largely date to the mid-19th century, following a restoration in 1847. A gallery, accessed via a central spiral stairway with a moulded front rail and chamfered stick balusters, is located at the west end. The font is octagonal and sits on a shaped shaft and plinth. The pulpit features carved panels, including depictions of the Madonna and Child and Christ, carved by R L Gapper. The chancel is raised by a single step, accessed through a simple 15th-century chamfered arch. A further step leads to the sanctuary, which is bordered by a moulded rail supported on stick balusters. The reredos, commemorating the First World War, has floriate carving around recessed panels, and an ogee-headed recess is located to the north of the altar. Memorials are found on the west and north walls of the nave, with the earliest being a 18th-century slate bearing a Latin inscription to David, son of William Daniel, and Elin, daughter of Griffith Rober. Later memorials commemorate Richard Morys, John Parry Williams, and Anne Louise Hutton. The interior of the vestry was not inspected during the survey, and the porch roof exhibits exposed braced trusses with trefoils over the collars.