Parish Church of St Meugan

Parish Church of St Meugan

The Parish Church of St Meugan is a single-chamber church built of limestone rubble with yellow and red-brown sandstone dressings. The roof is slate with oversailing eaves and deep verges, the latter having plain bargeboards and simply decorated, projecting purlin ends. The west gable retains its original late-medieval bell-cote, which is gabled and has a pair of arched bell openings with 19th-century sandstone copings.

The west entrance is a 19th-century pointed-arched doorway of finely tooled ashlar, with stopped-chamfered jambs and a returned, moulded label. The door itself is a heavily studded 17th- or early 18th-century oak plank door. Above the entrance is a 19th-century two-light arched window with hollow-carved spandrels in the late 16th-century manner. An irregular band of roughly dressed red sandstone blocks appears at this level on the west gable only. Stepped 19th-century set-back buttresses mark the corners with overlapping sandstone copings.

The north and south sides each have four bays. The north side has buttressing dividing the bays. The easternmost bay contains a blocked two-light 15th-century mullioned window with Tudor-arched, cusped heads that retains its original wrought iron ferementa (ironwork). The two central bays each contain a large pointed-arched tracery window in Perpendicular style. The first (to the east) is the larger—a fine early 17th-century four-light window bearing the incised date 1626 at the right-hand springing point, with cusped ogee heads, complex tracery lights and hollow-chamfered jambs. The next window is a three-light 19th-century window with a moulded label and carved head stops.

The south side has buttressing defining the easternmost and westernmost bays. On the far-western buttress is an incised bench mark at low dado height. A large near-central gabled porch with an open front and rubble walls was originally timber-framed; the rubble encasing of the side walls appears to be a post-Reformation alteration, probably late 16th or 17th century. The porch has a fine late 15th-century cusped truss with a depressed-arched, moulded tie beam and central, foliated boss, and plain modern bargeboards. Within the single-bay porch is a contemporary early-Tudor arched entrance with chamfered reveals, moulded label and carved head stops. Some Welsh painted texts are visible below peeling limewash upon the reveals of the arch.

To the left (west) of the porch is a two-light round-arched mullioned window of red sandstone, probably late 16th century, with a replaced sill and mullion. To the right (east) of the porch is a fine two-light 15th-century window with a moulded label with later 19th-century foliated stops, cusped heads to the lights, and a renewed mullion. This window retains its original wrought iron ferementa. To the right of this is inset a square sandstone sundial inscribed with the names of the churchwardens 'Dd Jones' and 'Rb Rouland', together with the date 1736, and an original brass gnomon. Beyond this is a three-light Tudor-arched window, probably early 16th century, with cusped heads and hollow chamfering. A large Perpendicular-style 19th-century four-light tracery east window with a returned label completes the south elevation.

Interior

The church has a single-cell plan with continuous nave and chancel. The roof is a fine late 15th-century seven-bay structure consisting of moulded, arched-braced collar trusses with cusped trefoil decoration, stopped-chamfered purlins and cusped windbraces in two tiers.

The nave has fixed mid-19th-century pine pews (1851) with panelled ends and pew doors, flanking a contemporary geometric tiled pavement to the nave centre. At the west end is a good early 18th-century oak gallery supported upon two simply moulded posts. This has stopped-chamfered ceiling joists and retains its original oak boarded gallery floor. On the south side is a simple oak stair with original narrow, turned balusters, oak treads and risers. The newel and rail are renewed 19th-century work, and there is panelled understair with a four-panel, mid-19th-century pine door. The gallery has turned balusters to a moulded balustrade rail with an inscription in raised letters to its front face: 'TP TL Church Wardens 1721'. The northern third of the space below the gallery is occupied by an office/vestry formed in 1957 by partitioning the east and south sides. These are each of five bays and have pointed-arched heads and simple mullions to glazed upper sections, with entrance via twin doors to the south side.

The font is a plain octagonal piece of Perpendicular style and conventional type, 19th century with a 20th-century oak font cover. The pulpit is octagonal and mid-19th century, with deep Perpendicular-style panels to each face and a moulded cornice on an octagonal base.

The chancel is stepped up and separated from the nave by a fine late 15th-century Perpendicular Rood screen. This is of nine bays with a wide Tudor-arched central opening flanked on each side by four narrower bays. The panelled dado has moulded stiles and fine blind tracery on the south side (lost to the north). The dado rail has relief-carved rosette motifs and wyvern and 'Green Man' carvings to either side of the central opening. The upper section of the screen is open and has complex pierced tracery heads incorporating (to the far right) a portcullis motif, an early Tudor badge. The moulded Rood beam has relief-carved vinescroll decoration. The chancel roof (consisting of the last two bays of the continuous nave-chancel roof) also has vinescroll decoration to its purlins.

The choirstalls are similar to, and contemporary with, the nave pews. A Gothic reading desk has a moulded base and rail, and a five-bay open tracery front with cusped, pointed arches. The sanctuary is stepped up and boarded, with contemporary altar rails with cusped iron tracery supports and 19th-century dado panelling with blind arcading in two tiers. The reredos is a carved wooden piece by Bodley and Hare of London, 1927, in the form of a relief-carved triptych with a central recessed Crucifixion and flanking niches containing the carved figures of the Virgin and St John the Evangelist, with ogee tracery heads to canopies and crenellated brattishing to the cornice.

Stained and Painted Glass

The eastern nave window on the south side contains fine 16th-century decorative quarries depicting acorn and oakleaf badges in yellow stain. The east window was donated in 1857 as a memorial to John Williams, MP, and depicts scenes from Christ's life by Clayton and Bell with elaborate borders by Powell and Sons of London. Two further windows by Powell, given by George Johnson of Plas Llanrhydd, Esquire, appear on the chancel south and nave north sides. In the north wall (west end) is a fine three-light window depicting the Transfiguration, erected in memory of Thomas Downward, of Bathafarn Park, Esquire, died 1859.

Monuments

Chancel, north wall (east to west): A fine, large-scale funerary monument in polychromed stone and marble to John and Jane Thelwall of Bathafarn Park, died 1586 and 1585 respectively. The monument consists of sculpted representations of the couple shown kneeling within a twin-arched architectural frame with Corinthian columns supporting a classical entablature; surmounting this is a large heraldic cartouche. Below the main figures are placed fourteen smaller sculpted figures depicting the couple's ten sons and four daughters, each inscribed with his or her name. Below this is a scrolled apron incorporating a framed black marble inscription tablet. The polychromy is original and survives in good condition.

Next to this is a monument to the latter's ninth son, Ambrose Thelwall (1570–1653), Yeoman of the Robes to King James I, King Charles I and Prince Charles (later Charles II). This is in the form of a fine polychromed, life-sized bust set upon a classical plinth with swagged and voluted sides and incorporating a black marble inscription tablet; the plinth is of painted plaster. The bust is set in front of a segmentally arched niche formed by blocking a 15th-century chancel window; above this is a good contemporary and associated heraldic cartouche. The polychromy is original and survives in especially good condition.

Next to this is a fine white marble wall memorial to John Thelwall of Bathafarn Park, Esquire, died 1664, in the form of a draped tablet with a surmounting polychromed heraldic shield, supported by winged putti. Immediately to the left of this is a similar monument to his son, also John Thelwall, a Barrister-at-Law, who died in 1686—a swagged banner format in white marble with a good polychromed shield above. Below this is a smaller lozenge-shaped tablet addition to Anne, his widow, died 1712, attributed to Robert Wynne of Ruthin, with swags, trumpets and foliate decoration in shallow relief, together with a winged putto-head.

The east end (left of the east window) has a Grecian classical memorial tablet to Anne Jemima Clough of Bathafarn Park, died 1812, by Sir Richard Westmacott, RA, of white marble on a black marble base. Above this is a simple classical tablet in white and black marble to Sarah Downward of Bathafarn Park, died 1829. On the other side of the east window, occupying the south-east corner, is a double monument to Rowland White, 'late Baron of the Exchequer for North Wales', died 1670. This consists of a pair of black marble tablets contained within fine architectural frames of painted plaster, now somewhat eroded. Each has a heavily moulded broken pediment with central (polychromed) heraldic cartouche and flanking gadrooned urns, and swagged, panelled sides with volutes. A winged putto head is placed at the junction between the two, in the corner.

Chancel, south wall (east to west): Black marble mural tablet to Robert and Mary Price, erected 1777, with a draped urn in white marble above. To the right of this is a simple oval mural tablet to Jane and Maurice Jones of Gellygynnan, died 1784 and 1785 respectively, of white marble on a rectangular black and white marble frame, with surmounting urn in relief.

Nave, north wall (east to west): Large white marble tablet to Eubule Roberts of Llanrhydd House, Esquire, died 1765, together with his descendants. This has a simple frame with grey/white mottled marble sides surmounted by a broad obelisk with an applied urn base (the urn itself missing at the time of survey) and a swagged apron with a central wreathed shield (blank). Next is a fine baroque wall monument to Thomas Roberts died 1708, with a smaller additional monument to his wife Anne Thelwall died 1746 attached below. The main monument is attributed to Robert Wynne of Ruthin; it is in white marble and takes the form of an oval cartouche with fine relief-carved detailing, including volutes, swags, draperies and cherubs. The subsidiary monument below is a draped tablet with flanking trumpets. To the left of this is a simple tablet to John Price of Tyn-Coed, died 1782, of polished black slate with a shaped top.

Nave, south wall (east to west): White on black marble mural tablet to Georgina Neville, died 1843, by M W Johnson of London, with a shaped top with rose and sickle relief carving. Next is a series of four simple classical tablets to members of the Jones family, all white on black marble: firstly Hugh Jones of Woodlands, died 1855; then the Reverend Hugh Jones of Caer Groes, died 1825; next Roger Jones of Caer Groes, died 1797; and finally Rachel and Henry Jones of Plas Tourbridge, died 1838 and 1842, the latter by J Blayney of Chester. At the west end are two early 19th-century framed almsboards and a further commemorative board dated 1852.