Church of St Engan

Church of St Engan

This parish church is built of rubble stone with large quoinstones and gritstone dressings, some dating from the 19th century. It has slate roofs spanning two parallel roof lines.

The north-west tower, dated 1534, is of two stages with a dripcourse beneath an embattled parapet and crocketted corner finials. Each side features a pointed recessed two-light bell-opening. A single door sits on the east side just above the nave ridge. The lower stage has clasping buttresses extending to mid-height with three set-offs. A small west window of two pointed lights sits within a recessed round arch with deep hollow moulding. Below this is a double inscription band, much eroded, with a string course above it. The inscription, though worn, is said to read: "Istut campaniculu fuit edificatu in honore St Aenani regi Wallie app'lus Stotor anno Dni milimo CCCCCXXXIIII IHS" (This tower was built in honour of St Einion, king of Wales, apostle of the Scots in 1534). The west door below has a four-centred arch, hollow moulded with a square hoodmould over it, and the tower has a raised plinth.

The nave north wall contains some pre-15th century fabric. It has two Perpendicular-style two-light flat-headed windows with hoodmoulds, both dating from 1847 (though only one two-light window appears in a view from 1829). The chancel, which is continuous, has one similar window of 1847. The east end has a coped gable; the north corbel bears an eroded inscription said to represent 1521 or 1530. A large five-light Perpendicular east window with a four-centred arch and hoodmould dominates this end. The jambs on either side are inscribed "ihs". A straight joint reveals that the south aisle is an addition.

A waterspout between the gables is dated 1769. The south aisle east gable is similar to the north but has a three-light east window, and its south corbel bears an inscription said to represent 1531. The south side has three renewed flat-headed three-light windows with hoodmoulds, all renewed in 1847, though the ogee jambs of the left window are said to preserve the original pattern. A tall two-storey porch with a slate roof and coped gable stands prominently. Its small upper window and four-centred doorway below have a moulded arch and half-octagonal piers. Inside the porch is a four-centred moulded south doorway with a studded plank door; the floor has been removed. The roof features two collar trusses, possibly dating from the 16th century.

The south aisle west gable is linked to the tower by a flat coped wall, with a waterspout dated 1757. The west window is a 19th-century two-light in cement, crudely imitating the tower's west window.

The walls are generally plastered. The tower arch is pointed with a hoodmould, and a south-east door leads to the tower stair. Two fine 16th-century roofs of arched braced collar trusses, some with cusping to the apex struts, span the building. Twelve trusses cover the nave and eleven the south aisle. The first seven nave trusses are heavier and may be earlier, with cusped windbracing and panelling forming a canopy in the east bay with stencil painting. The south aisle has slots for a canopy in the fourth bay from the east and varied treatments of the space above the collars. One truss bears an inscription of 1847 recording David Williams of Caernarvon as the builder of the restoration. An arcade of six bays—two to the chancel and four to the nave—runs through the interior. The chancel east arch has been rebuilt, possibly in the 17th century, with a round arch; the other is depressed pointed. Octagonal piers and half-octagonal responds carry two hollow mouldings on the arches. The middle pier is inscribed "mi". The nave arcade is similar but the piers have a rebate on the splayed sides (as at Llangwnadl) and date from circa 1530. The arches are of four orders with four-centred profiles. The chancel east window has "ihs" inscribed on its jambs.

The church contains two superb circa 1530 screens, both similar in design with two bays either side of a broad centre entry, framed by sill, uprights, and head beam. The south screen retains its rood-loft with coving, bressumers, and parapets; the north screen has been partly reconstructed. The south screen has base panels with traceried heads, a quatrefoil frieze, moulded uprights, and traceried heads. Above is a frieze of water-leaf then fleur-de-lys beneath a coved panelled loft with some rosettes and interlace, rose, and vine friezes above fretted cresting. Below the gallery front are panels with a moulded top rail. The rear displays six stalls with some carving to the end uprights. The east side of the south screen loft has pierced and carved decoration with traceried panels and various motifs. The nave screen is similar but lacks the rood-loft above. Its stalls feature carved lions on the inner bench-ends. A 17th-century turned baluster railing runs across the full width. A late 17th-century communion table sits in the south aisle. The chancel has 19th-century stalls. A Gothic timber pulpit or reading-desk dates from 1847, as do the pews, which have fleur-de-lys projecting from their bench-ends. A timber eagle lectern rests on an openwork twisted column. An octagonal font of 15th to 16th-century date has quatrefoil panels and rosettes on its shaft.

The chancel contains a grave slab to Katherine Owen of Creigir from the 17th century. A slate plaque in the south aisle commemorates Humphrey Jones of Ty Newydd, who died in 1721.

The east windows and tower window contain 1979 stained glass by C Lightfoot of Manchester, which reuses fragments of early 20th-century stained glass by Kempe & Co.