Church of St Paul

Church of St Paul

A lancet style church comprising a nave and apsidal chancel under a single roof, built of snecked stone with freestone dressings, sill band and plinth band, a plain stone eaves cornice and slate roof. A gabled west bellcote contains a single bell.

The south wall of the nave features a gabled porch set back from the west end, which has a coped gable on moulded kneelers. The porch side walls are fitted with pairs of lancets and angle buttresses with gabled caps. Inside are double boarded doors with diagonal boarding. To the right are three pairs of lancets, and a buttress with gabled cap between the nave and chancel. The chancel has an inserted pair of lancets in its south wall, below which is a memorial tablet of 1924 with a Great War memorial inscription. The apse contains five lancets, and on the east side is a tablet with a Latin cross in relief below the window.

On the north side of the chancel is a vestry with two lancets in its north gable end, and a small window above with hood mould continuous with a moulded string course. Its west wall has a doorway with lancet arch and a door with diagonal boarding and strap hinges. The nave north wall has four pairs of lancets. The west wall has angle buttresses and a pair of tall lancets, above and between which is a small round light. Below the west window is a foundation stone with inscription. Below the tablet is a boiler house set below ground level.

The interior of the nave comprises five bays with narrow half bays at the east and west ends. It has moulded crown-post trusses on wall posts and corbels, with painted inscriptions to the tie beams. The high chancel arch has two orders of chamfer and no capitals. The apsidal chancel has arched trusses on corbels and a filleted string course below the windows. A lancet arch in the north wall is now infilled by organ pipes. The north doorway to the vestry, with diagonal-boarded door, is at the east end of the nave.

The font is an ornate example in Perpendicular style, executed in marble with an octagonal bowl. Its sunk panels feature relief carvings of a cross, Chi-rho monogram, IHS monogram and a dove, alternating with symbols of the evangelists. Winged angels are carved on the underside of the bowl. The stem is carved with blind Gothic arches. The font is surrounded by diaper-work black and white tiles, and wainscot commemorating Jane Edwards of Penyparc (died 1925). Affixed to the west wall is a medallion with a bust of the first Duke of Westminster and commemorative inscription.

The polygonal pulpit has fielded panels with relief foliage to the upper tier. A chancel screen consists of seven unequal lights and slender buttresses with attached pinnacles. It has panels below open lights with pierced Gothic tracery above the arches, a relief inscription and brattishing. The communion rail has cast iron uprights with scrollwork and a wooden handrail. The chancel is laid with encaustic tiles. A reredos features blind Gothic panelling and brattishing, and was given in memory of Reverend Edward Evans, vicar of the parish from 1916 to 1923. The pews have simple mouldings and the choir stalls have open arcaded fronts and moulded ends.

The chancel contains three windows depicting the Nativity, Crucifixion and Ascension by Ballantine of circa 1865, possibly brought from another church. The west window dates from 1910 and depicts the Annunciation, said to be by Jones & Willis.