St Gwenog Church

St Gwenog Church

This is a Grade I listed church built of rubble stone with slate roofs and coped gables (as of 1993). It comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, southeast chapel, and northeast organ chamber.

The tower is constructed of larger squared stones than the rest of the church. It has a high battered plinth with a rounded string-course, a slight batter to the main wall, and a moulded course beneath the battlements. A northeast stair tower, raised higher, features corbelled battlements. Both the tower and stair tower have gargoyle faces at their corners. The tower contains plain 15th-century flat-headed two-light bell-openings with hoods, now blocked to the west. Small plain lancets are positioned mid-height on the west and south faces. The west door is moulded with a carved head keystone and hood with head stops, opening internally via a segmental pointed arch to circa 1900 double panelled doors. Above the plinth is a shield with a carved portcullis. A small late 15th-century three-light west window follows, flat-headed with hood and carved stops, one featuring a Tudor rose. A plaque displaying the arms of Sir Rhys ap Thomas within the Garter is set within a deep hood or frame with carved rose and face.

The nave has straight joints suggesting it predates the tower. The south side shows traces of roughcast and retains a fine later 14th-century two-light window with cusped ogee heads and ogee quatrefoil. The north side has two late 19th-century copies of this window, made by Colonel Davies-Evans working with the vicar and curate.

The southeast chapel is separately roofed with a blank west wall bearing a 1913 plaque recording the removal of a Crucifixion carving, now housed inside the church. The south side has a battered plinth, pointed doorway, and two-light window with pointed lights and 15th-century flat head. The east end features a massive southeast corner stone and a 15th-century single light, off-centre. The chancel has a southeast stone rainwater spout (1993) and a late 15th-century three-light pointed east window with late Gothic tracery and hood. The north organ-chamber has a mid-19th-century stone Y-tracery window to the north.

Interior

The tower interior contains rough stone with a pointed vault and flattened arch to the stair door to the north. A medieval stoup on the south side was reset in 1922. An oak inner doorcase dating to circa 1900 has a big ribbed coved top and paired octagonal side shafts. The tower arch is cemented, with four medieval small carved heads reset in its sides. Five broad slate steps descend into the nave.

The nave and chancel feature an exceptional single late 15th-century oak plaster-panelled barrel roof arranged in 72 squares with a deep moulded cornice. The walls are plastered. Two late 17th or 18th-century black-letter panels on the north wall display the Commandments and part of the Creed in Welsh. Two broad pointed arches connect the nave and chancel to the southeast chapel. The north organ chamber has a roof panelled to match the 15th-century roof. The southeast chapel also has a matching roof, probably late 19th-century.

Fittings include an exceptional 12th or 13th-century font with 12 crudely carved faces right around its broad bowl. The reredos, panelling, altar and rails date to 1959 and are of sub-classical design, probably by A.D.R. Caroe. Set within the reredos is a small stone Crucifixion oval panel, possibly 14th-century, similar to a roundel at Llanwnen. A very large and fine five-bay screen with complex tracery and vaulting, deep coved cornice and sunburst cresting was carved by Reubens and Colonel Davies-Evans and dated 1915. The hexagonal pulpit, carved by Colonel Davies-Evans, features open pointed traceried panels and quatrefoil short legs. A lectern with a Welsh dragon squatting on a large coronet is dated 1922. Handsome pews were made by estate carpenter William Evans of Bryngwenog. They feature open backs and approximately 34 elaborately carved bench-ends, designed by Mary Davies-Evans and carved between 1914 and 1919 by Reubens.

Monuments

The nave north displays a monument to Colonel Herbert Davies-Evans (1842–1928). The nave south contains monuments to Herbert Evans of Highmead (died 1787) and Anne Evans (died 1807)—a marble plaque with sarcophagus of 1807 by Foster & Co of Bristol—and to Lady Anne Griffies Williams, circa 1800, with finely carved Adamesque urn. The chancel south has a black and white marble framed plaque to Thomas Bowen of Waunifor (died 1805) and his wife (died 1829), by Foster & Co of Bristol.

Stained Glass

A west three-light window was made by Colonel Davies-Evans at Highmead circa 1900. The southeast chapel south two-light window, showing the Baptism, dates to the late 19th century.