Church of St Mael and St Silien

Church of St Mael and St Silien

This church comprises a west tower, nave with north porch and transept, south aisle, and chancel. The structure is built of rough random rubble for the nave, porch, transept and tower, while the later south aisle and rebuilt north gable of the transept are constructed of better coursed stone. Slate roofs with red tiled cresting run throughout the building.

The west tower is undivided, with a small doorway to the north, a clock above it, and simple angular tracery with slate louvres to the two-light bell-chamber windows. It is topped by an embattled parapet.

The north porch has a chamfered arched entrance inserted around 1871. A rough monolith, traditionally known as 'the pointed stone in the icy nook', is incorporated into the east wall of the porch. The porch has a broad foiled lancet to its west and a two-light plate-traceried window to the east.

The transept has a similar plate-traceried window in its gable, with lancet windows in its east and west walls. It is noted that the transept was extensively restored but retains an early roof with curved principals and struts to the collar, and two tiers of wind-braces. The transept was converted into a lady chapel in 1931, at which time a screen with delicate enriched Perpendicular tracery and vine-scroll frieze was installed as a memorial to members of the Walker family.

The narrow lean-to south aisle contains four triple lancet windows and a gabled vestry projecting from the chancel with paired lancet windows.

The chancel is high to accommodate the sloping site. It has two plate-traceried windows to the north and south dating from 1871, and three lancets to the east said to be early 13th century, though they have been recut. Traces of an earlier window, possibly from the 18th century restoration, are visible high up in the north wall. The chancel has been extensively restored, and the keeled boarded ceiling was renewed in 1984 following a fire. An ornate cast-iron corona, probably originally for gas-light and dating from the 1871 restoration, is mounted inside. The chancel contains an oak panelled reredos with an inlaid marble panel dated 1938, the marble panel probably part of a late 19th-century reredos. Encaustic floor tiles by Maw are laid throughout. Oak communion rails of around 1871 incorporate a quatrefoil frieze which was part of the earlier chancel roof. An arched tomb embrasure beneath the north window of the sanctuary contains a low-relief figure of a priest, Iorweth of Corwen, probably dating to the early 15th century.

Interior arrangement and fittings

The nave and transept contain a four-bay south arcade dating from around 1871, with cylindrical piers bearing stiff-leaf capitals that carry strongly projecting square abaci. These support unchamfered pointed arches. A double chamfered arch to the north transept also dates from the restoration, as does the chancel arch, which is double chamfered and sprung from stiff-leaf corbels.

The nave roof was repaired during the restoration but is substantially 17th century, with one truss dated 1687. The three western trusses have kingposts and raking struts to the collar, with quatrefoils in the spandrels and cusped pierced tracery between the principal posts. The two easternmost trusses are slightly different: the easternmost has a kingpost and collar with arched braced cusped struts and pierced quatrefoil panels between the kingpost and struts. The other eastern truss has a kingpost, queen struts and arched braces, enriched with pierced quatrefoils and trefoiled cusping to either side of the kingpost. An additional cusped collar is positioned to the east, close to the east wall of the nave.

The font is 12th century, comprising a simply shaped basin on a cylindrical base with a cable moulded band. Its canopy is a First World War memorial.

Wall memorials include one to Maria Charlotta Lloyd, who died in 1780, executed in marble by Vander Hagen of Salop, featuring a draped urn with pointing putto superimposed on an obelisk surmounting an inscribed tablet. Another commemorates Captain William Hans Blake, who died during the Ashantee War in West Africa in 1874; this tablet is inscribed with a detailed biography and surmounted by a low-relief cross and anchor, made by Caffin and Company of Regent Street, London.

Stained glass includes an east window by Clayton and Bell dated 1871, and a north nave window in a Burne-Jones style dated 1920.