Church of St Cristiolus

Church of St Cristiolus

This is a medieval church of Grade II* listed status, predominantly in Decorated style but featuring a fine Perpendicular chancel window. The building comprises a three-bay nave with a western gable bellcote and south-west gabled porch, and a slightly elevated and wider two-bay chancel to the east.

The church is constructed of rubble masonry, predominantly gritstone, with freestone dressings. The roof is of slate with stone copings and ashlar bellcote, with simple iron crosses at the gable apexes of both the chancel and porch. The bays of the nave and chancel are articulated by offset buttresses, with similar buttresses flanking both the western gable bellcote and the eastern chancel window.

The chancel contains early 16th-century windows. The eastern Perpendicular window is of five ogee-headed lights with vertical uncusped tracery in a four-centred head with moulded label. The eastern window in the north wall has a pair of rounded multifoiled lights in a square frame with moulded label, with a 19th-century copy in the opposing position in the south wall. The remaining windows are 19th-century: the chancel has pointed-arched windows of three trefoil-headed lights and cusped tracery with hoodmoulds; the nave has single trefoil-headed lights in square frames with hoodmoulds at the western end, while the remaining windows are a mix of pointed-arched and square-framed windows of paired lights, some with hoodmoulds. The bellcote at the western gable is of ashlar masonry, slightly advanced and corbelled, with cusped tracery to the heads of the openings and a helm roof. The porch features a hollow-moulded, round-headed outer doorway, with entrance to the church through a boarded door with ornate hinges set in a chamfered, pointed-arched frame.

Interior

The entrance leads into the western end of the nave. The roof spans seven bays with exposed rafters and chamfered A-frame trusses; above the tie beam, the posts and frame are cusped, while below, arched braces and wall posts are carried on shaped corbels. The 13th-century chancel arch is two-centred with three orders on the east side and two orders on the west, featuring shafts with roll-moulded edges, responds with three rolls at each edge, roll-moulded capitals and bases. The chancel roof spans five bays with exposed rafters and chamfered, arch-braced collared trusses, with braces continued down to form wall posts carried on plain corbels.

The fittings are 19th-century and of pitch pine. Simple bench pews and choir stalls feature chamfered edges and scrolled ends. The octagonal pulpit is raised on eight turned legs, with each face having paired recessed panels with cusped tracery at the head, set under a moulded rail. The reading desk has three facing panels with open cusped tracery at the head over closed paired quatrefoils, and a moulded rail and plinth. At the western end of the church is an enclosed vestry formed by recessed panelling with cusped tracery at the head. The sanctuary rail is moulded over widely spaced upright and diagonally set cusped supports. The sanctuary walls have plain wooden panelling to the lower part, raised behind the altar table as a reredos, with simple decoration to the heads of the raised panels.

At the western end of the church is a 12th-century circular gritstone font decorated with six arcaded panels. Three contain variations of four-cord plaitwork; one features horizontal and vertical bands with intersecting rings; one has circular and elongated links; and the last contains two irregular hexagonal figures interlaced.

Memorials

A grey on black marble First World War memorial is positioned on the north wall of the nave. A white on black marble memorial to Reverend John Roberts, died 1845 (by Seddon and McBride, Liverpool), is on the south wall of the chancel. A brass memorial with Latin inscription to William Morgan, LL.B., Chancellor of Bangor, died 1713, his wife Dulcibella, died 1724, and their son Richard is located on the western chancel wall, east of the chancel arch.