Church of St Trillo

Church of St Trillo

This church comprises a nave, chancel, west tower with spire, north porch, south vestry and organ chamber. The building shows three distinct phases of construction in its fabric. The lower walls of the nave, below sill level, are of rubble masonry and may be medieval. Some rubble to the lower walls, particularly on the north side, could also be medieval. The tower was rebuilt in 1776 and is of coursed yellow-grey stone. The remainder of the church dates from 1875-7 and is constructed of partly snecked, dressed grey stone, under slate roofs with raised copings and kneelers. The windows are in mixed styles, most being 2-light Geometric or with 3-light panel tracery, all with foiled lights in heavy sandstone surrounds. Angle buttresses are positioned between windows.

The tower is three-staged with a plinth. The upper stage is octagonal and surmounted by a spire. The lower stage has a former doorway to the west end, now infilled with stone beneath an inserted 2-light foiled window. The south side of the tower has narrow lights to the first and second stages, the former blocked and probably relating to an earlier staircase, with an angle buttress to its right. Against the north side, to the left, is a lean-to late 19th-century stair turret with yellow sandstone quoins. An angle buttress projects from its left side, and a narrow stairlight serves the lower level. The west side of the turret has a square-headed boarded door reached by stone steps, with narrow stairlights above. The second stage of the tower has broached upper angles and a wide string course, leading to the octagonal upper stage, which is late 19th-century work. It features battlemented parapets, with the string course decorated with gargoyles. Single light louvre openings to the east, west, south and north sides each contain a quatrefoil. A clock is fixed to the north wall. The octagonal spire has quatrefoil lucarnes with hoodmoulds.

The nave is three-bayed with a gabled north porch positioned to the right of centre. The porch is half-timbered on a stone base with a steeply pitched roof. The stone base supports a wooden arch to the entrance, on attached narrow timber columns. Continuous wooden glazing to the sides of the porch has two 4-light windows in each side, with the narrow lights having trefoiled heads and quatrefoils above containing stained glass. A two-bay roof inside the porch features collars and windbraces. The entrance to the nave consists of a sandstone arch with three orders of mouldings on round columns with ringed capitals and bases, the former bearing ball flower ornament. The hoodmould has head bosses and contains double boarded doors with decorative braces. To the right of the porch is a 2-light window. To the left of the porch are two 3-light windows with hoodmoulds with head corbels. Three 3-light windows are positioned to the south side of the nave, all offset to the right.

The 19th-century chancel is two-bayed and lower and narrower than the nave. There is a 2-light window to the right bay and a single trefoil-headed light to the left bay. The east end has a 3-light window with sexfoil tracery. Adjoining the south side is a gabled vestry and organ chamber with an integral lean-to on the right-hand side. Angle buttresses with offsets are positioned to the left and right of the gable. A pointed arched doorway with hoodmould contains a boarded door to the left, with a 2-light window to the right, above which is a circular light containing four quatrefoils. The left return has a single light with a trefoil-arched head. The lean-to has a 2-light square-headed window with the lights having segmental heads; there are no openings to the east end but an angle buttress projects to the left. A stone stack stands between the gable and lean-to.

The nave has a six-bay arched-brace roof with collars and cusped struts, two rows of purlins and windbraces. The arched-braces are supported on stone corbels. A high pointed chancel arch of red sandstone has two orders of chamfered mouldings on raised columns. A central aisle to the nave is flanked by open pews with moulded bench ends; some are said to have been remodelled from box pews in the 19th century. An octagonal stone pulpit to the northeast has open trefoiled arches. A small pointed tower arch of red sandstone, dating from 1875-7, has chamfered mouldings and a hoodmould with head bosses. In front of the tower arch is a 19th-century octagonal stone font with incised quatrefoil decoration. In the southwest corner stands the former medieval font, said to be 15th-century, comprising a plain octagonal bowl on a denuded stem. At this end of the church is a large inscribed stone block known as the Blaen-y-Cwm stone, thought to be 13th-century or earlier, which was brought from the head of the Pennant valley around 1959.

The chancel roof is two-bayed with arched-braces resting on wall shafts, collars and cusped windbraces. Two steps lead up to the chancel, with one further step to the altar. Choir stalls have moulded bench ends and cast iron decoration to their backs. The altar rail has decorative cast iron posts. Two sedilia are positioned to the right of the altar, and an aumbrey to the left, both with chamfered stone mouldings. A stone reredos features two stylised quatrefoils bearing scenes in relief. An archway to the south side, similar to the chancel arch, leads to the vestry and organ chamber.

Stained glass includes a window to the northeast of the nave depicting St Trillo, in memory of John Evans, vicar from 1900-23, signed G.W. 1936 (Geoffrey Webb). Two windows are positioned to the north side of the chancel, between which is a bronze plaque stating that they were erected during the restoration of the church by descendants of the Lloyds of Hendwr, who are buried in a vault beneath the chancel. The east window is in memory of Anne Wynne (died 1868).

On the west wall of the organ bay are several 18th-century wall monuments in Classical style, of polished grey stone with pediments, mainly to members of the Lloyd family of Hendwr; two are dated 1774 and 1788. In the nave is a marble scrolled tablet on the south wall, to Reverend John Wynne, vicar of the parish from 1825-70. On the north wall is a marble monument with pediment to members of the Wynne family of Branas Lodge, dating to the late 19th century.