Church of St. Dunawd

The Church of St. Dunawd is a building of group value, dating largely from the 18th century, with earlier elements. It comprises a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles, and a long chancel under a single roof. The building is topped by a slate roof, constructed in at least two phases.

The chancel is built of roughly coursed red sandstone rubble with various repairs. It features a fine Decorated window at the east end, while the nave has 4-light Perpendicular windows on each side, both of which have been restored; the north window includes cusping. A 2-light window with a flat head is also present on the south side. The north aisle and vestry are constructed of sandstone ashlar, with a battlemented parapet, a hipped roof, and neo-Perpendicular windows. A north porch has a timber-framed gable and incorporates carved Aesthetic Movement motifs. The south aisle is of red sandstone ashlar with yellow sandstone dressings, and features a range of 4 flat-headed traceried windows. The west tower is constructed of red sandstone ashlar with yellow sandstone dressings, displaying a bold, almost Baroque, early Georgian style. It is of three stages, with pilaster strips, round-headed bell openings, circular windows with exaggerated keystones, and a round-headed door on the west side. A clock face is situated on the north side, and urn finials surmounted by weather vanes are positioned at the angles.

Inside, there are Decorated three-bay nave arcades, the north arcade being truncated by a fourth bay. The chancel is slightly narrower than the nave and benefits from a continuous arch-braced roof with cusped windbraces and struts. Above the sanctuary is a panelled waggon ceiling with blind tracery. Steps lead up to the chancel and then to the sanctuary, which is laid with Victorian glazed and encaustic tiles. A central round-headed opening at the west end leads to the tower, which has a boarded door and a 18th-century wrought-iron fanlight. A well-preserved font, probably from the late 15th century, is located in the south aisle; it features cusped panels, a stem on the bowl, and instruments of the Passion and shields. An early 20th-century font cover by E. Wybergh of Overton is present, with elaborate and finely carved tabernacle work and angels. Another, more simply carved, font with an octagonal bowl is against the west wall. A fine mahogany reredos, mounted on the west wall, includes pilasters with gilded drops, gilded drapery swags, and a broken pediment containing boards displaying the Lord’s Prayer, Decalogue, and Creed. The inscription "The gift of Peter Lloyd of this Parish 1775" is at the base; below this are three benefaction boards, one with a painted winged putto. Other furnishings are generally from the 19th century, and the pulpit displays Aesthetic Movement motifs. Stained glass includes fragments from the medieval period in the chancel's south side, an east window by Gibbs (1868) and north aisle windows by Jones & Willis (1931). Monuments include several elegant 18th-century wall plaques, one on the chancel's south wall with columns and an urn by John Nelson of Shropshire, commemorating Rev. John Fletcher (d1741). Four bells are dated 1727, crafted by Abraham Rudhall. The church also retains an early 14th-century sepulchral slab, a dug-out chest, the bressumer and brattished rood beam from the former rood screen, which has been reset at the west end.