Parish Church of St Saeran

Parish Church of St Saeran

This is a large parish church of double naved type, built primarily of limestone rubble with an earlier fabric that includes a substantial proportion of squared red sandstone blocks visible at the western end. The roof is covered in slate.

The western end features a heavily weathered entrance to the northern chamber, with a sandstone compound arch, engaged shafts and stiff-leafed capitals. The doors are boarded and reuse elements of medieval ironwork. The southern chamber has a large late 17th-century western twin bellcote with a kneelered gable and segmental-headed bell openings.

The northern side contains an early 16th-century Tudor-arched window towards the east, with hollow-chamfered jambs and a returned and moulded label; this has a 3-light 19th-century tracery insert. Towards the west are two simple 3-light Tudor-arched tracery windows, which are 20th-century replacements.

The southern side is dominated by a fine timber-framed early Tudor porch to the south door, built on a rubble plinth with a slated roof. The porch was restored and partly encased in the early 20th century. It features an arched-braced outer truss with a panelled gable and 20th-century chevron bargeboards; the open sides contain 8 lights. The 2-bay interior has arched-braced collar trusses with moulded members to the roof framed in three ways. Above the entrance is a cusped truss with trefoil and quatrefoil spandrel decoration. Its collar bears a 16th-century date inscription in raised, stylised letters: "Anno Domini MDX (?) IIII" (for 1519 or 1544). The entrance itself is a fine heavily-moulded Tudor arch with a returned label and an original 4-panel door. The latter has moulded ribs, applied tracery decoration and original ironwork; it is inscribed with various church wardens' names and initials, with late 16th and early 17th-century dates. To the right of the porch are three large round-arched 18th-century sandstone windows with projecting keystones and imposts; they contain simple Victorian intersecting tracery inserts and built-up sills. Between the two easternmost windows is a Tudor-arched priest's entrance with a 19th-century boarded door. A Victorian tracery east window to the south chamber has a returned label. The north chamber's east window is a large early 16th-century Perpendicular tracery window of 5 lights, with original tracery heads but 20th-century renewed sandstone mullions; it has a heavily weathered label and an original iron window grille.

The double-naved interior has 10-bay roofs to both chambers. These are fine Perpendicular examples, with alternating arched-braced collar and hammerbeam trusses. The hammerbeam trusses have for the most part lost their wall posts; the collar trusses are carried on carved figures or heads, some retaining early gilding; they have moulded principals and purlins. The two chambers were formerly divided by an 8-bay stone arcade, the engaged piers of which survive at the east and west ends. The present arcade consists of a series of narrow fluted wooden pillars rising from the octagonal bases of its predecessor.

The two westernmost bays of the nave have slate-flagged floors to both chambers; the remainder is stepped-up and has a simple decorative 19th-century tiled floor to the north (black, red and yellow lozenge decoration) and further slate flagstones to the south, which include some sandstone gravestones, mostly of late 17th and 18th-century date. Mid 19th-century fixed pine pews flank the central arcade along the north and south sides. Along the north wall of the north aisle, however, are fixed pews of oak and pine, made up in the 19th century from earlier (mostly early 18th-century) fielded panelling. Similar fielded panelling runs along the dado on the north and south walls. Towards the west end of the north chamber is a Perpendicular limestone font basin of conventional octagonal type, with blind quatrefoil tracery decoration to each face; it has a 19th-century octagonal sandstone base. A fine second-quarter or mid 17th-century oak pulpit features geometric panelled decoration to the main sides between tiers of blind arcading; it has columnar balusters above and below and a dentilated cornice. A 19th-century pine stair with turned newel and balusters is present. The north chamber contains a 16-branch 3-tier wooden candelabrum (originally of 24 branches) with the original pale green paint finish and the painted inscription 'The Gift of the Reverend Mr. Rutter, 1749.'

The chancel occupies the east end of the north chamber. It is stepped-up with pavement as before. 19th-century choir stalls of oak and pine incorporate carved fielded and inscribed panelling from broken-up 17th and 18th-century box pews. Amongst these are sections with names, initials and dates including 'March 26th 1613, 1670, 1713, SR 1721' and 'Sedes Guiliemi Platt de Rhydonnen...Gen, Aug XV NO MDCCXIII.' On the north side at the east end is a section of oak panelling with ten fine relief-carved panels and the date 1570 (the latter associated but added); this, until the late 19th century, formed the back of a bench, though it is regarded as being of secular origin, traditionally from Bachymbyd Fawr. A mid 18th-century oak reredos features central and outer fluted pilasters, inlaid decoration and a moulded, dentilated cornice. The two eastern bays of the south chamber are partitioned off to form a small chapel with modern partitioning encasing that of the 19th century.

Monuments are distributed throughout the church. In the nave's north chamber, at the west end, are the reconstructed fragments of an early 14th-century ecclesiastic's effigy lying on a concrete chest tomb incorporating five contemporary headless weepers. Nearby is a fine sepulchral stone cross of the mid 14th century; hexagonal, with relief carvings of a bishop and Christ on the Cross to its respective sides. On the north wall is a framed Gothick mural tablet to Peter Ellis Eyton of Ty Isaf, MP for Flintshire, who died in 1878. In the nave's south chamber, a fine and large Royal Arms hatchment on the south wall (unframed) is dated 1661 and known to have been painted by a Mr Hill for the sum of £6. To the right of this is a 19th-century funerary hatchment with the arms of Mrs Edwards of Cerrigllwydion Hall, who died in 1859. Beyond this is a 17th-century stone funerary tablet to Edward Lloyd of Berth Lloyd, with a Latin inscription. Towards the west end are two large framed wooden benefactors' boards, one dated 1787, the other contemporary. In the south chapel, flanking the east window are two classical mural tablets: that on the left is to Edward Edwards of Cerrigllwydion, died 1816, and that on the right is to his wife Lowry, died 1807. Both are of white and grey marble, each with an inscription tablet surmounted by a draped urn, obelisk back panels and aprons; that on the right has a polychromed heraldic shield. On the south wall is a similar white marble mural monument to the Reverend William Williams Edwards of Cerrigllwydion, died 1829, and his wife, featuring a relief-carved Grecian muse with draped urn and column. To the right of this is a 19th-century framed funerary hatchment bearing the arms of Reverend Edwards.

Wall paintings are present at the western end of the north chamber. On the north wall is a fine and large wall painting depicting Saint Christopher, executed in secco in the second quarter or mid 15th century. Further to the east is a small relocated wall painting fragment of Welsh Black Letter Gothic text (detached from its original location, overlying the Saint Christopher), dating to the early 17th century. Above the south door is a (repainted) mural inscription 'R Hughes John Evans 1677' (churchwardens).

The stained and painted glass includes 18th-century coloured glass to the tracery lights of the east window in the north chamber; mid Victorian figurative glass to the chancel north window. In the south chapel is a window with figurative glass erected by Mrs Williams Edwards of Cerrigllwydion in 1855.