Parish Church of St Mary

Parish Church of St Mary

This is a medium-sized rectangular parish church of local uncoursed rubble construction with sandstone dressings. The slate roof has coped and simply-kneelered gable parapets, with the eastern gable retaining the base of a 19th-century gable cross at its apex.

The south side features three 19th-century two-light windows. The westernmost and central windows have cusped ogee heads with chamfered jambs and mullions; the easternmost is a simple Decorated-style pointed-arched tracery window with a quatrefoil above paired cusped-headed lights. The western window is of pale buff-coloured sandstone, whilst the other two are of red and brown sandstone. The south side also displays 19th-century tooled limestone quoins.

The north side bears traces of lime render and three 19th-century windows, all of buff sandstone. The easternmost and westernmost are similar to those on the south side. The central window is a three-light Perpendicular-style tracery window with a segmental-arched head and six trefoil-headed smaller lights above three cusped main lights.

The east end retains its original pointed-arched window, probably dating to around 1300, constructed of red and brown local sandstone. It has three lights with cusping and intersecting tracery, though the sill and mullions are 19th-century replacements. The northeast corner retains its original sandstone quoins.

The west gable is rendered and surmounted by a sandstone bellcote of simple gabled form with a pointed-arched bell-opening. Above the opening, in raised letters, is the date 1874. Advanced to the front of the west end is a slightly-narrower single-storey gabled porch addition of rough-dressed, random-coursed limestone with a slate roof and sandstone copings to kneelered gable parapets; the copings are scrolled bizarrely at the ends. The porch has a symmetrical facade with a central pointed-arched entrance flanked by two-light sandstone mullioned windows. The entrance has a double-chamfered outer arch and a recessed, chamfered inner arch, with simple boarded double doors. An inset raised sandstone cross sits above the entrance. The flanking windows have chamfered mullions and reveals with depressed ogee heads, with further single and two-light plain windows to the north and south returns. A modern breeze-block boiler lean-to with a corrugated iron roof is present at the west end.

Interior

The church is arranged as a continuous nave and chancel. The nave has a 10-bay roof of 19th-century restoration, featuring simple braced collar trusses, closely-grouped and with stopped-chamfered purlins. Nineteen-century oak pews with simple scrolled pew-ends occupy two rows flanking a central tiled pavement with alternating white, red and black tiles.

A medieval octagonal font of pink local sandstone stands in the nave, with a chamfered octagonal shaft, base and plinth. It was retooled and altered in 1904. The font cover is 19th-century oak, of open spire form with brattishing, finials and punched trefoil decoration, surmounted by a Celtic cross finial.

The chancel is stepped-up and retains its circa 1500 waggon-vaulted roof with original main members and ribbing, though with 19th-century boarding. The main members display blind tracery and billet-moulding, with vine-scroll decoration to the wall plate. Nineteenth-century wooden corbels with foliate and 'Green Man' carving support the principals.

The chancel is separated from the nave by a low screen extended upwards to the sides in the form of an open-work spere truss, presumably the work of Baker. The screen features Perpendicular-style blind and pierced tracery in tiers. These trusses support hammerbeams with crenellated brattishing and carved angel sculptures to each side, framing the chancel and supporting a pierced tracery gable facing inwards towards the nave. The angel carvings hold shields bearing the inscriptions 'Sanct Sanct Sanct' on the southern side and 'Aleluia Aleluia' on the northern side, all in raised letters.

The screen itself is a 19th-century dado-height confection incorporating original circa 1500 pierced tracery panels within a 19th-century framework reproducing the mouldings of the original Rood screen. The southern section incorporates a semi-octagonal pulpit projection of similar style, again with reused medieval screen panels, though with 19th-century uprights and brattished cornice.

A raised pavement extends to the chancel, with the sanctuary stepped-up twice and both areas fitted with polychromed encaustic tiles. Oak choirstalls in Perpendicular style feature finely-carved poppy-headed bench-ends. The front stalls have reused blind and open tracery panels similar to those on the screen.

Low oak altar rails have uprights formed of compound columns with moulded capitals and abaci, with a central opening flanked by paired arches. The second arch from the left is the original Rood screen arch reused, whilst the other three are 19th-century copies. All feature Tudor arches with pierced tracery spandrels, cusping and a frieze with bent-feather decoration carved in shallow relief.

A tripartite stone retable features a central marble cross in relief, framed with gilded rays emanating from it. Flanking framed panels display painted depictions of the Virgin and St John the Evangelist in 13th-century linear style within quatrefoil roundels, with flanking stylised lily paintings.

The east window contains good stained and painted glass depicting a Crucifixion group in three lights, with Old Testament Prophets in roundels flanking a central Virgin and Child to the lower tier, in memory of the Reverend John Owen, died 1870. The chancel south window has a figurative two-light window with an ocular light above, in memory of Elizabeth Owen, died 1891. The nave windows retain 19th-century leaded lights with marginal glazing of coloured and rinceau quarries, whilst the chancel's north window has decorative quarries.

Monuments

The nave north wall displays, from west to east: a Grecian-style memorial tablet to Elizabeth Owen of Fachlwyd, died 1838, of white marble with a pedimented top and simply-decorated cornice, set upon an outer tablet of grey figured marble. Next is a simple classical wall monument to Edward Owen of Ruthin, Esq., died 1823, with a white marble inscription tablet with moulded cornice surmounted by a draped urn carved in relief; the background is a pointed-arched panel in black marble with foliate sprigs below and a dove above the tablet, both in white marble relief.

The nave south wall contains, from west to east: a black slate tablet with an arched top to Robert Hughes of Bryn Llwyd, died 1756, together with later members of the Hughes family (1763 to 1803). Next is a white marble tablet to Jane, daughter and heiress of John Wynne of Drws Byddel, Gent., died 1752, with a winged putto head in relief above the tablet and a black marble frame with an arched top. Following is a similar memorial in white and figured grey marble to John Owen of Fachlwyd Esq., died 1821, with a carved angel above the tablet and a pedimented frame.

The chancel north wall holds a pedimented white and black marble memorial to Sophia and the Reverend Rees Williams (Vicar of the parish), who died in 1896 and 1900 respectively. The south wall displays a Great War memorial tablet in metal and wood.