Parish Church of St Tysilio and St Mary

Parish Church of St Tysilio and St Mary

This church, graded I, draws together elements from the 12th century, 15th century, and 19th century work, with major restoration by Benjamin Ferrey in 1871–2. It is constructed of local rubble stonework with slate roofs.

The building comprises a nave incorporating the liturgical chancel, with an earlier nave section at the west end, north and south aisles, a raised vestry set within the north aisle, and a 15th-century west tower.

The aisles are each separately roofed. At the south-west end is a 14th-century moulded entrance through a blocked arcade of the 12th-century nave. The south aisle contains later 19th-century two-light windows, though retains an original 15th-century window at the east end of the south wall, and a three-light reticulated window at the east end. A 17th-century priest's door within an opening of two orders sits centrally in the aisle. The north aisle is buttressed with two-light windows, all dating to 1871–2, as does the chancel east window. The west tower rises in three stages with a slightly projecting stair at the south-west corner, and features a coved string with gargoyles at the base of the crenellated parapet.

The west end of the nave incorporates one or more bays of a wide Romanesque nave with arcades on both sides. The south arcade is immured, plastered and whitewashed. Circular columns in red sandstone with double offsetting chamfered capitals carry round arches of two plain orders. A wide tower arch with similar half-round impost columns, perhaps reset from the original chancel arch, carries a pointed arch. The north arcade, further east, contains four bays of 1872 construction with round columns. The south arcade comprises three bays of low, almost segmental arches with one octagonal column, with walling and a door opening between the two western bays, possibly the original south entrance before the south aisle was built. The roofs of the nave and south aisle span ten bays and date to the 15th century, featuring slightly cusped windbraces and much restoration.

The chancel sits within the east bay of the nave. The altar is raised on three steps and paved with 19th-century tiles. An oak reredos incorporates elements from a screen (or wall plate) and 17th-century pews. A slender turned sanctuary rail completes the chancel furnishings.

The raised vestry is approached through the 12th-century arcade and is screened by panels from 17th-century pews. An octagonal oak pulpit of 19th-century date stands in the nave. The font is octagonal on an inverted funnel-shaped stem, probably 17th-century and inscribed RDV. Pine pews date to 1871–2. The organ is mid-19th century with a painted Gothic case, rebuilt by Whiteley in 1977.

Stained glass by Ward and Hughes includes an Adoration window in the east of the north aisle, dedicated 1888, and a west window in the south aisle of 1857. The chancel east window features an Ascension scene from 1872. The south aisle west window dates to 1856 and was produced by D. Evans of Shrewsbury for the Glynne Mytton family. Six large suspended coats of arms of the Mytton family and relatives, dated 1838, are also by David Hughes.

Monuments in the nave include a bow-fronted white marble tablet with grey columns and broken ogee pediment by Gaffin of London, commemorating Charlotte Glynne Mytton of Pen-y-lan, dated 1859, on the north wall. The south wall bears a white marble curved tablet with inlaid fluting and pedestalled urn on a pyramidal ground to Jenkyn Parry of Maine, 1787; a large limestone tablet with draped figures in low relief to Charles Watkin Williams Wynn, killed at Ypres in 1914; and a marble tablet by Sephton of Liverpool to James Briggs, 1816.

At the west end of the south aisle stands an important tomb slab of circa 9th-century date, discovered during 19th-century work on the chancel arch foundations. It bears a crucifix against a ring-cross over a long cross, with scattered triquetra, interlace and other motifs. Nash-Williams identifies Merovingian, Viking and Irish influences. It possibly marks a princely grave.