Parish Church of St Marcella (also known as Whitchurch)

The Parish Church of St Marcella, also known as Whitchurch, is a medium-sized parish church of the double-naved type with a tall square west tower. It is built of limestone rubble with local sandstone dressings and has a medium-pitched slate roof with 19th-century slab-coped gable parapets and moulded kneelers. A stone east gable cross tops the north chamber.

The south side features a gabled porch on the left, its gable matching those above. The porch entrance has a round-arched doorway with ovolo-moulding and an original recessed, studded oak door. Above the entrance, a sandstone plaque bears a much-weathered inscription recorded as 'RP: RE (Robert Price and Robert Evans) Wardens, 1722. Repaired 1854, TGE: RR (Thomas Gold Edwards and Robert Roberts)'. A small round-arched window in the west return wall has concave lozenge decoration to the spandrels, dating from the late 16th or early 17th century and reused.

To the right of the porch is a two-light mullioned window, probably of 17th-century date, with a renewed chamfered mullion and chamfered jambs (also partly replaced) but original ferementa. Some two metres beyond this is a masonry break with irregular sandstone quoining. To the right of this break, the masonry dates from around 1500. Here there are three large three-light Tudor-arched windows of equal size and form. Each has pointed-arched lights recessed within a hollow-chamfered outer arch, with moulded and stopped labels. The stops to the first window show a carved bearded head on the left and a shield bearing the arms of the Salusbury family of Lleweni on the right, both of limestone. The easternmost windows have weathered foliated stops of sandstone. Some restoration has been carried out, but the original ferementa remain. Between the two easternmost windows is a narrow priest's door, now blocked up, with a round-arched head and hollow-chamfered jambs. The west wall of the south chamber has a walled-up pointed arch of brown sandstone. Its gable has an early 20th-century two-stage louvre of sandstone ashlar.

Large five-light Perpendicular tracery windows are found at the east ends of both chambers, with that to the south being taller. Both have pointed arches with carved foliate stops to moulded and returned labels, chamfered mullions with cusped tracery heads, and hollow-chamfered jambs. The north chamber window retains its original ferementa. The north side has a contemporary three-light mullioned window to the left of centre, with cusped-headed lights recessed below a hollow-chamfered Tudor arch; some residual colour-wash survives on the latter. To the right of this is a similar though flat-arched window of two lights with a heavy moulded label with weathered head stops, a renewed mullion, and original ferementa. Between the two windows is a small early 20th-century two-stage chimney to the roof, constructed as before. A triangular-arched window to the right has a cyclopean limestone lintel and chamfered sandstone jambs, with a recessed studded oak door, original though partly restored.

The four-stage west tower has a battlemented top above a plain stringcourse and a flat leaded roof. The base has a chamfered plinth and stepped angle buttresses support the northwest and northeast corners. A round-arched two-light window to the west face at ground-floor level has chamfered jambs and ferementa, with a renewed mullion and returned label. Simple vent slits are found at the first and second floors, with two-light windows as before at the bell stage above, fitted with wooden slatting. Plain sandstone gargoyles ornament the south and north faces.

The interior has a double-chamber plan with no architectural division between the nave and chancel spaces. Both chambers have exceptionally fine ten-bay late 15th/early 16th-century hammerbeam roofs. These have moulded principals, purlins, and rafters, with crenellated brattishing and octagonal piers to the wall posts. The hammerbeams correspond to the bay divisions and each has an intermediate arch-braced collar truss, each with fine human and animal carvings above the wall plate. The north and south chambers are divided by an elegant five-bay Perpendicular arcade, with moulded Tudor arches springing from octagonal columns with moulded bases and abaci. On each face of the arcade is a continuous label with large stop carvings at each bay division. These are of animals and shield-bearing angels, with similar zoomorphic, foliate, and heraldic boss carving to the stone wall plate, all now (regrettably) with bright modern polychromy. Slate-flagged floors cover both chambers, including many 17th- and 18th-century tombslabs, with parquet flooring to the central and side seating sections.

The south chamber has a plain octagonal font of tooled limestone dated 1640, with a squat octagonal base with chamfered plinth on a modern concrete base and a simple early 20th-century oak font cover. A panelled octagonal oak pulpit, also in the south chamber, has a tall panelled back and sounding board with moulded cornice. The back panels bear the incised inscription 'R.P. H.B: Wardens 1683'. A modern organ stands at the west end of the north chamber.

The nave is separated from the chancel by a Perpendicular-style carved oak screen which extends across both chambers and returns on the north side of the arcade to separate the chancels of each chamber. By C Hodgson Fowler, 1908, it incorporates a small number of elements (mostly tracery heads) from a former, apparently early Tudor, rood screen. It has a plain dado with wide Tudor-arched entrances and flanking bays of open tracery; that to the north has a bracketed canopy. Pierced, cusped tracery heads and fine vinescroll carving with surmounting brattishing ornament the beam, with panelled half-gates to each entrance featuring open tracery upper sections and brattishing to the top rails.

The present chancel is on the north side. This has simple Perpendicular-style oak choir stalls of similar date, with blind tracery arcading to the front panels. A stepped-up sanctuary has plain early 20th-century oak rails. A simple plain-panelled oak retable with brattishing has vertically-panelled flanking sections with simply-moulded rail and blind tracery detailing. The chancel to the south chamber has a stepped-up sanctuary with a finely-carved oak altar table dated 1628. This has strapwork relief-carving to the frieze and bottom rails, the former with angel busts flanking a central angel carving, and bulbous carved legs. Tall contemporary altar rails with turned oak balusters support an exuberantly-carved vinescroll rail, the latter no doubt originally part of the rood screen. The altar rails return to the rear and abut a tripartite panelled retable. This is made up of sections of late 17th-century fielded panelling, doubtless reused from former box pews.

The church contains several important monuments. In the north chamber chancel, on the north wall, is an exceptionally fine and important Renaissance wall monument to Humphrey Llwyd of Foxhall, who died in 1568. The monument is of aedicular form and consists of an alabaster relief depicting Llwyd kneeling within a vaulted classical interior with his heraldic achievements in the tympanum above. This is contained within a round-headed inner arch of tooled limestone, itself supported by winged putti and contained within an outer frame with Corinthian columns supporting an entablature and moulded pediment, with Renaissance frieze carving and grotesques. Surmounting the pediment is a large ball finial in the form of a terrestrial globe, a reference to Llwyd's cartographic interests and his contribution to Ortelius's 'Theatrum Orbis'. Below the monument is an inscribed memorial stone, inset into the wall.

Immediately to the west of the Llwyd monument is a fine brass to Richard Middleton, Member of Parliament and Constable of Denbigh Castle, who died in 1575. The brass has engraved portraits of Middleton and his wife kneeling, accompanied by their nine sons and seven daughters, with the Middleton and Dryhurst arms above. It has a guilloche decorated border and a long inscription in gothic letters, with a moulded, black-painted stone frame with flanking columnar shafts. To the right of the Llwyd monument is a large classical mural tablet to Robert Salusbury of Cotton Hall and family, who died in 1774, erected in 1802. Of white and grey figured marble with moulded cornice, apron, and flaming urn and shallow obelisk to the top. On the east wall is an heraldic stone cartouche with the finely-carved arms of the Salusbury family of Lleweni, polychromed.

The south chamber chancel contains the famous tomb of Sir John Salusbury of Lleweni, Chamberlain of North Wales, and his wife Dame Joan. The monument consists of a very fine alabaster tomb chest with life-sized recumbent effigies (that of Sir John in full armour, that of Dame Joan in long robes and high ruff), with carved figures of their nine sons and four daughters as weepers. The tomb was erected in 1588, ten years after Sir John's death, by Dame Joan, as recorded in an inscription around the cornice. It is known to be by the sculptor Donbins and retains the majority of its original polychromy.

On the south wall is a large Baroque wall monument to Sir Robert Cotton, Baronet, and his wife, the Lleweni heiress Lady Hester Salusbury, erected in 1715 and attributed to the workshop of Edward Stainton. Of white and grey figured marble with selective gilding and polychromy, the monument consists of a swagged inscription tablet set in an architectural frame, the segmental moulded and coffered pediment to which is supported on Solomonic columns with Corinthian capitals. It has flanking garland volutes and a consoled base with winged angel relief carvings to the apron, with a laurel-wreathed foundation plaque below. A large surmounting flaming urn is flanked by fine heraldic cartouches. On the east wall, to the right of the window, is a small baroque mural monument to Mary Dryhurst and John Roberts, mason, possibly by the latter, around 1692. This is in the form of a fictive drapery banner with heraldic cartouche above and a winged, wreathed angel below; it has inappropriate modern polychromy. Below the south window is a life-sized recumbent relief of Jeanette Octavia Ward, who died in 1913, with attendant angels; of grey marble and by the sculptor Albert Toft, 1915.

In the north chamber of the nave is a large Baroque monument to Thomas Shaw and family, Recorder of Denbigh, who died in 1717, of white and grey figured marble. It has a draped tablet with flanking panelled pilasters supporting a moulded segmental pediment and a flaming urn finial with flanking heraldic cartouches. To the left are two classical mural tablets to Sarah (left) and Richard (right) Heaton of Plas Heaton, who died in 1814 and 1791 respectively. By Richard Westmacott the elder, in white and black marble, both have obelisks with draped urns. Above these is a Grecian tablet of white marble in the form of a squat obelisk to Elizabeth, wife of John Heaton, who died in 1822. Next, to the west, is a simple tablet in black and white marble to Richard Clough of Glan-y-Wern, who died in 1784, and family; last date 1838. On the northwest wall is a small classical tablet of white and grey marble to Thomas Edwards, the bard 'Twm o'r Nant' (1739–1810), with a framed Welsh inscription tablet with plain apron and a surmounting obelisk with relief-carved muse figure holding an oval portrait bust of the deceased.

The south chamber of the nave has three simple classical tablets of white marble to members of the Twiston family of Henllan Place (1837–53).

The south chamber east window has a large cycle of figurative glass showing scenes from Christ's Passion in Arts and Crafts style, a Harrison family memorial window dated 1918. The north chamber north chancel window is an Arts and Crafts figurative window of 1912 in memory of Eliza Vaughan Jones of Park House, depicting the Marys at the Sepulchre. In the porch window are various jumbled fragments of late 15th- or early 16th-century glass, presumably originating in one of the east windows.

There are five late 18th/early 19th-century hatchments in the north nave and four similar hatchments in the south, all of conventional lozenge shape and with fine heraldic painting (Salusbury, Middleton, Heaton and other families). On the south wall is a further, smaller rectangular hatchment to Mrs Anne Lloyd of Plumog (sic), dated 1686. This has a painted inscription on panel with arms above. On the west wall (south) is a large framed benefactors' board with painted inscriptions and the date 1720 together with churchwardens' names Hugh Price and William Hillditch (on the apron). Two framed wooden tablets in the north chamber record the gift of land by Hugh Robert Hughes of Kinmel Park in 1858 and 1889. On the west wall (north) is a framed wooden tablet of 1781 recording the gift of church plate by the Reverend Robert Middleton.

In the north chancel is a fine brass chandelier of two tiers and twelve branches inscribed 'The gift of Mrs Ann Moreton. John Thomas, Chester, fecit 1753.' An oak and iron-bound church chest is inscribed 'TW DD Wardens 1676.' In the south chancel stands a large bronze bell, formerly in the tower.