Church of St Padarn

Church of St Padarn

This large church is built of rubble stone with ashlar quoins and windows, slate roofs, and coped gables topped with cross finials. The roofs feature decorative bands of fish-scale Whitland Abbey slates in patterns, though the nave roof is plain. The building has an imposing, unadorned appearance with unbuttressed walls and no batter. It consists of a nave, 19th-century south porch, transepts, chancel with 19th-century north vestries, and a large crossing tower with a 19th-century recessed slated spire.

Exterior

Most windows are narrow single lancets in eroded yellow stone matching the quoins, some possibly medieval. The west and south gables each have three lancets arranged with two below and one above; the north gable has only two. The nave north wall has four lancets, the south has three plus the porch. The 19th-century porch features a large ashlar triple-chamfered pointed arch with hoodmould and stone voussoirs. Inside, it has a boarded segmental pointed roof, stone benches along the sides, and quarry tile flooring.

The inner south doorway is exceptionally ornate 14th-century Decorated work, the finest in the county. It has three deeply moulded shafts, each with triple-roll moulding with a keel to the central roll, stiff-leaf capitals, and matching triple mouldings to the pointed arch with hoodmould. Fine oak double doors by Seddon feature wrought iron hinges and a cambered lintel beneath an oak tympanum with a roundel pierced with three leaded trefoils and a trefoil on each side. Three steps lead up through this doorway. The nave south downpipes are dated 1884.

The transepts each have single lancets on their east and west sides. The crossing tower is massive and plain, showing numerous putlog holes. It has 19th-century louvred paired cusped bell-lights and a corbelled embattled parapet. A short broached slated spire with fish-scale slates and weathercock rises above. A clock on the south side is dated 1859.

The chancel south wall has a lancet, a plain pointed door with cut stone voussoirs, and a 15th-century red stone Perpendicular segmental-pointed two-light window with 19th-century tracery. A large 19th-century five-light east window, also in red stone, displays late Gothic style tracery. On the chancel north side is a 15th-century three-light window in red stone with 19th-century tracery, positioned above a small gabled north vestry. To the right, the wall steps back over a 19th-century lean-to with timber glazing to the roof in two levels. A cast-iron rainwater head here is dated 1882. The north transept has a 19th-century two-light east window with a relieving arch of an older window well above. The stonework of the nave south wall is almost entirely 19th-century, less so elsewhere.

Interior

Inside, the walls are whitewashed and plastered, with large plain plastered arches to the crossing. The roofs are by Seddon and become increasingly elaborate towards the chancel. Only the west windows have exposed stone reveals. The nave roof comprises eight by twelve panels, boarded with bosses and a brattished wall-plate. A red marble step marks the crossing entrance.

The crossing has a chamfered northeast angle for the tower stair with a door at its foot. Its complex oak roof has nine panels with heavy beams and pendant bosses. The corner panels feature fan vaulting on corbels, the other outer panels slope, and the centre has a moulded roundel. The floor is exceptionally fine mosaic work by Seddon in the central aisle and cross aisles, with inset lozenge panels of fine encaustic tiles depicting a kneeling priest.

The transepts have boarded ceilings with heavier ribs arranged in three by six panels, each subdivided into four, with brattishing and a band of quatrefoils on the wall-plate. Each transept has two pointed recesses in its end wall.

The chancel features a red marble step with mosaic flooring as in the crossing and encaustic tile panels depicting a three-branch lamp, followed by another marble step and black marble main chancel flooring in small paving slabs. In the sanctuary are three further marble steps with paving of pink marble with black in square or zigzag patterns. The ornate roof has smaller panels along the ridge, moulded ribs and carved bosses, and a brattished cornice on each side above a row of little fan-vaults separating seven half-round panels with shield-bearing angels. This roof conceals a 15th-century roof beneath. The north and south windows are 15th-century red stone inscribed with the rebus and name of William Stratford, Abbot of Vale Royal.

Three small square-panelled doors are on the north side: one to the base of the former rood loft stair, another high on the wall to the left, and a vestry door further right. There is also a pointed south door, all by Seddon with wrought iron hinges.

A fine reredos spans the east wall in red sandstone and white marble. The outer wall-panelling features squares of rose and vine in a moulded frame of red stone. A white marble shelf on brackets sits over pink marble framing behind the altar, with outer panels of white marble bearing a cross on vine background. The frame steps up over the main reredos: five white marble inner panels are separated by short half-octagonal red stone columns, showing alpha and omega at each end and three long panels—two of vine and a central passion flower. Above these are three white marble lettered panels, two reading "Laus Deo" and the centre "Gloria in excelsis Deo", all red stone framed.

Fittings

The font is 13th or 14th-century with an octagonal ashlar bowl showing shallow pairs of pointed recesses on each face, on a broad octagonal shaft and base of ashlar. It has a 19th-century oak and wrought iron cover. An ornate pulpit by Seddon from 1879 is in Beer stone ashlar Gothic style, drum-shaped with two cusped panels containing carved stone reliefs of Saints John and Paul by H. Stannus, square rosettes and leaf-carving in the spandrels flanking, and a Gothic column with large capital for the book rest. It was given by Bishop Basil Jones. The lectern from 1906 is a brass eagle.

The nave pews by Seddon are pitch pine with pegged tenon joints. More ornate but similar stalls in the crossing have open-arcaded front kneelers and two reading desks with triple pointed arches to fronts and scrolled tops to uprights. The nave inner porch in oak with long narrow leaded lights is by G.G. Pace from the 1960s. The organ in the south transept from 1885 by Foster and Andrews of Hull has a pine case with painted pipes. Timber rails by Seddon are in open grid within panels, the top openings cusped. A timber altar by Seddon has three panels each of four quatrefoils. Nave and transept light fittings are by G.G. Pace.

North transept fittings from 1936 by Caroe and Passmore include a finely carved reredos, panelling on each side, altar, rails, lectern, pews and kneelers, all in pale oak. The reredos features a carved Crucifixion with St Mary and St John.

The south transept exhibition area was designed by Peter Lord. A pitch pine screen has etched glass panels depicting winter and spring with words by Dafydd ap Gwilym by Peter Lord. The floor is white glazed tiles with a red tile border surrounding two early crosses moved into the church in 1916. The shorter cross has a crude roll-mould border on a roughly hewn cross, uncertainly dated to the 9th to 11th century. The taller cross, the "Cross of St Padarn", is granite with Celtic interlace in panels down one face; the other face is more varied but much eroded and has one crude human figure with a spiral across the body, dated to the 10th century. Grey granite pieces form a monolith seat, kneeler and altar, each with an inset gold-enamelled small tile by Andrew Rowe. The wall plaster has an incised red line.

Small enclosed chambers lie on each side. To the left, an imitation pointed vault and slate slab floor mark the chapel of St Padarn, which has the St Padarn window (see below), a porcelain panel by Gillian Still depicting St Padarn and the ordeal by boiling water, a low slate seat, and a niche at the south end with an etched red chi-rho symbol over a massive low slate slab altar with Alpha and Omega incised. To the right are two small exhibition rooms entered through a screen with two further etched glass windows by Lord showing summer and spring. The Sulien room has an incised slate floor slab and lettered text around the wall from the Elegy of Rhygyfarch, both by Ieuan Rees. The outer room has historical exhibits in a display case by Paul Roberts. Information panels are lettered by Mihangel Morgan.

Memorials

In the nave, at the west end, is a slate memorial with relief of a priest to Reverend W.E. Davies who died in 1973. On the south wall are a plaque to Gladys Greer who died in 1934, and a neo-Grec memorial to Matthew Davies Williams of Cwmcynfelin who died in 1833 with a kneeling child, by E.H. Baily. On the chancel floor is a slab to the antiquarian Lewis Morris.

On the chancel north wall from left are: a fine neo-Renaissance memorial to E.L. Pryse of Peithyll who died in 1888 with an angel opening a tomb door; a plain plaque to M.J. Fryer who died in 1887 by M.W. Johnson; a plaque to Jane Loveden who died in 1855; a broad plaque to Margaret Pryse who died in 1798 with two weeping cherubs and an urn on a pedestal; a slate plaque framed with fluted pilasters and cornice to Katherine Chichester from 1739; and a large and fine white and grey marble monument to Lewis Pryse of Gogerddan and Woodstock who died in 1779 with a rusticated base, pedimented plaque framed by half-balusters, urn and reclining cherubs on the pediment, against an obelisk.

On the chancel east wall to the left are: a memorial with pilasters and broken pediment to Thomas Pryse of Gogerddan who died in 1745; a Baroque cartouche with large cherubs to Cornelius Le Brun of Cologne, son-in-law to John Jones of Nanteos who died in 1703; and another below from 1708 with arms and banners to John Jones who died in 1666. On the chancel east wall to the right is a Baroque plaque with ornate drapery and scrolls, swan-neck pediment, and arms, to Sir Thomas Powell of Nanteos who died in 1705, design by W. Townesend of Oxford, made by R. Wynne of Ruthin.

On the chancel south wall are: a coloured marble memorial to Reverend William Powell of Nanteos who died in 1780 in Adam-style; a memorial to Lieutenant W.E.G.P. Powell killed in 1918 with busby and sword; a plaque to W.E. Powell of Nanteos who died in 1854; a plaque with urn to Thomas Powell of Nanteos who died in 1797; a very long slate plaque with broken pediment to William Powell who died in 1738 and Avarina Le Brun; a large memorial to John Pugh Pryse MP who died in 1774 with numerous cherubs, one holding a portrait relief, attributed to Van der Hagen of Shrewsbury; a plaque to Pryse Loveden MP of Gogerddan who died in 1855 by H. Ashton; above this a finely carved memorial to Harriet Pryse who died in 1813 showing a mourning cloaked male in a Gothic frame, by John Flaxman; and a plaque to Pryse Pryse MP of Gogerddan who died in 1849. At the chancel west end are a plain plaque to Eliza Rice who died in 1846 and a plaque with urn to Jane Pryse who died in 1846, both by Ashton.

Stained Glass

The three west windows depicting Abraham, Moses and David from 1894 are by Heaton Butler and Bayne. In the nave north wall, window 1 from 1887 reading "Be not afraid" is in High Victorian style; north 2 from 1963 is by Roy Lewis in modernist style; north 3 from 1985 by John Petts has symbols on pink and blue. In the nave south wall, windows 1 and 2 showing Hope and Faith from around 1900 are by William Morris of Westminster; south 3 in Arts and Crafts style by Hugh Arnold from 1904 depicts Justice, to Sir G.H.P. Evans of Lovesgrove.

In the south transept, three south windows from 1930 are to the Bonsall family showing Saints Padarn, Teilo and David in conventional style; the east window has scenes from the Life of St Padarn by Elizabeth Edmundson from 1985 in Celtic illuminated manuscript style; the west Burma Star window by Celtic Studios from 1985 is conventional. In the north transept, two north windows to the Morgans of Nantcaerio from around 1885 are possibly by Heaton, Butler and Bayne; the east small two-light window from 1878 by J.P. Seddon has inventive dark leading and classical style drawing; the west single light from around 1930 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne is to J.T. Morgan of Nantcaerio.

The chancel east window, a five-light Resurrection with musician angels in very bright colours, was given by G.E.J. Powell of Nanteos in 1884, design by J.P. Seddon with F.J. Shields, made by S. Belham, drawing by H.G. Murray. The north three-light window from 1885 was given by Hughes of Glynpadarn, presumably by S. Belham. South window 1, a single light of the Virgin and Child to EW Jones who died in 1879, is by Belham, and south 2, a two-light window from 1884 by S. Belham showing Nathan, David and Samuel, was given by G.F.W. Powell of Nanteos.