Church of Saint Mary

Church of Saint Mary

This church comprises a squat western tower and nave with a south aisle, representing a complex building history spanning from the medieval period to the 19th century.

The Tower and Early Structure

The western tower has two stages but is undivided externally. It features a triple window in the lower stage and paired foiled lights to the bell-chamber, both from the 19th century. The tower is topped with an embattled parapet and weathervane. An earlier roofline of the northern nave is visible on the tower's east wall, indicating its original separation from the present structure.

The south aisle is flush with the tower to the west and contains an early 14th-century stepped triple lancet window offset in its west wall, with heavy buttresses to the west that were probably later additions. The aisle wall has a recut wide chamfered lancet window and a gabled porch with timbering on a stone plinth. The porch features scalloped bargeboards to the gable and traceried doors. East of the porch are paired lancets flanking a wider lancet window, with paired lancets further east and a small doorway. A triple lancet window lights the east end of the aisle. A central buttress marks the original limit of the nave.

The Nave

The present nave is a Perpendicular addition to what was originally a single building. It is divided by buttresses into three bays visible to the west of later extensions. These bays contain recut paired lancet windows and a recut 2-light traceried window set high in the central bay, probably originally above a pulpit. The eastern bay has similar paired lancets and one square-headed 3-light window that may be an original feature. A 3-light Perpendicular window to the north of the chancel may also be original. The 5-light Decorated east window appears to predate the nave and may have been repositioned from the original single chambered church.

The nave contains an arcade of five and a half bays (the westernmost cut by the later tower) with octagonal piers and caveto-moulded capitals supporting double chamfered arches. The roof is a hammerbeam construction with heavily moulded brackets and arched braces to the collar with raking struts. Corbels of an earlier roof survive in the south wall. A plain double chamfered tower arch opens to the west, and a steep arched north door (now leading into a kitchen extension) opens to the north. Fragments of painted 17th-century Welsh texts remain on the south and north nave walls.

The South Aisle Roof

The roof over the south aisle has moulded brackets similar to those of the nave roof but carries arched braced trusses instead.

The Chancel and Sanctuary

There is no structural subdivision between nave and chancel, though the arcade continues with its easternmost bays constructed of different stone and appearing to be a separate phase. Steps incorporating a pulpit at the north lead up to the chancel, constructed of grey and pink stone with polished granite inlays. The floor is encaustic tiled with highly glazed tiles bearing embossed decoration. The sanctuary is raised further by additional steps and has plain wood panelling to its east wall. The reredos, dated 1917, features cusped ogee traceried panels and a vinescroll frieze. A blocked doorway to the north, with a chamfered 4-centred arch, is inscribed 'Sr. Jo. Shipley Conwy kngt 1637' and originally led to the mausoleum.

The Mausoleum

Projecting from the north wall of the chancel is a mausoleum added around 1820 by William Davies Shipley, Dean of Saint Asaph. It is built of ashlar with a hipped roof and pilaster buttresses.

The Screen

A traceried stone screen separates the south aisle from the sanctuary, serving as a memorial to members of the Shipley-Conwy family of Bodrhyddan between 1788 and 1871. Originally erected by Dean Shipley around 1820 on the north wall of the chancel, it is said to have been designed by John Carline of Shrewsbury. During Scott's restoration, it was moved to its present position. The south aisle also contains a side altar at its east end and an organ.

Furnishings

The font at the west end of the south aisle is a round basin with heavy scrolled angle brackets on a rectangular base, probably dating from Scott's restoration, as do the pews. The church contains stained glass from various periods: windows in both east ends likely contemporary with Scott's restoration and memorials to members of the Shipley Conwy family; a southeast window in the south aisle dated 1874; and a north window of the sanctuary by A.J. Davies of the Bromsgrove Guild, dated 1919, a memorial to Geoffrey Seymour Rowley Conwy, killed at Gallipoli.

Monuments

Three memorial slabs against the west wall of the nave include one with a floriated cross of around 1250-1280 and two with early 14th-century four-circle crosses. In the south aisle are two mutilated slabs with effigies of priests, probably early 14th-century. Some of these slabs originated at the Dominican Friary at Rhuddlan. Inscribed wall memorials in Welsh are dated 1676 and 1710. In the chancel is a slab incised with an effigy and French inscription for William de Fresney, Archbishop of Rages (Odessa), dating to around 1290, brought from the site of the Dominican Friary at Abbey Farm. A marble wall memorial to William Davies Shipley, died 1836, is also in the chancel.

Historical Development

The original building forms the present south aisle. The present nave is a Perpendicular addition, and the church was once equally divided between two separate naves. The separate chancel shown in a drawing of 1782 was remodelled during the restoration of 1812. Scott's restoration brought further changes, including the relocation of the stone screen.