Church of St Cynllo

Church of St Cynllo

Church of St Cynllo is a Grade II* listed building constructed in Decorated Gothic style, built of coursed rubble stone with Bath stone dressings and covered with a steep tile roof with crested ridge. The building comprises a nave, chancel, north organ chamber, and south tower with a lean-to vestry.

The exterior displays characteristic 19th-century Gothic detailing: coped shouldered gables with cross finials, a raised plinth, elaborate window tracery with circles in the heads, and hoodmoulds with carved head stops. The nave is four bays with two-light windows (four to the north, two to the south), and features a large three-light west window. A moulded course runs below the chancel sills. Stepped buttresses, clasping at the outer angles, support the walls. The chancel eaves course is ornately carved with foliate bosses. The south-west lean-to vestry incorporates a reused original nave south window in its west end and has a south-facing pointed door. The south tower is short and square, with an octagonal south-west staircase rising to the base of the bell-chamber, which contains plain leaded lancets. A pointed south door and triangular east window, both dating to 1868, are inserted into the tower. The building is crowned with an overhanging slate broach spire with louvred lucarnes. The chancel is narrower and two-bay, with traceried single-light windows (two to the south, one to the north). The north organ chamber, originally a vestry until 1897, has a north chimney and an ornate three-light east window.

The interior is remarkable for its High Victorian polychrome work. The nave walls are constructed of red brick banded in black brick and Bath stone, with chequerwork in red and white brick under the eaves. The porch under the tower is also finished in polychrome brick with an ornate shafted inner door. Segmental pointed window heads are formed in black brick and Bath stone. The first south window has been infilled in ashlar above the pointed vestry door. The nave roof consists of eight bays of arched-braced collar trusses with windbracing. Four trusses are carried down to massive Bath stone corbels with floral carving. The chancel arch is particularly ornate, rising from corbels carved with three angels, thick marble column shafts with massive foliate capitals, and a moulded arch slightly banded in grey stone with foliate carving and a hoodmould with carved head stops. Two steps lead to the chancel, which has a boarded panelled seven-sided roof with light stencilling. The chancel walls are ashlar, lightly banded, with a foliate-carved dado rail, supported on four carved stone musician angel corbels and four smaller angels. The north organ arch is segmental pointed with two pairs of musician angels as corbels. Encaustic tile floors, more ornate in the sanctuary, are laid throughout. One step, edged in red marble, leads to the altar. The east window features thin column shafts to the tracery, marble angle shafts with floral capitals, ballflower ornament to the banded arch, and a hoodmould with ballflower and head stops. A low pointed piscina is positioned to the north of the chancel, and a small aumbry recess with marble shafting is set to the south. A seat recess appears under the first south window.

The font, dated 1869 and given by Tylers of Mount Gernos, stands on a massive squat granite shaft and features a lush floral band. The octagonal bowl is carved with Evangelist symbols in four roundels and carved scenes in the remaining four. A very ornate ashlar pulpit front serves as a memorial to G.M. Lloyd (died 1849) and is canted toward the nave. It features a broad centre Gothic arch flanked by narrower arches at the outer angles, with marble-shafted columns and floral capitals. The arch supporters are angels. The arches are deeply moulded with floral ornament, and the outer arch heads project outward. The centre bears a carving of Christ preaching, with small statues of saints under the corner arches. Alabaster diapering fills the spandrels, with two marble carved heads in small roundels. The top slab is alabaster and moulded, accessed by stone steps to the right with a brass rail. A canopied statue of Ruth, memorial to Henrietta Lloyd (died 1871), stands in the nave south-east angle. The organ is a Gothic instrument by Vowles of Bristol. A very ornate reredos of 1871, given by Tylers of Mount Gernos, features diapered stone with two alabaster angel roundels, a diapered centre mandorla containing a white marble cross ornamented with marble half-spheres, and a marble shelf with ballflower ornament. Gothic stalls and a reading-desk are present. The pews feature pierced quatrefoils in the bench ends, and nine three-branched candelabra are distributed throughout.

The stained glass programme includes a fine east window of 1878 by J.H. Powell of Hardman & Co., executed in 14th-century style and depicting Christ, St Thomas, and St Mary. Three chancel side windows date to 1909. A nave north third window was created in 1928 by A.L. and C.E. Moore, and the west window dates to 1919 by A.L. Moore.

The church contains numerous monuments. On the north wall are monuments to Sarah Lloyd (died 1812) and James Lloyd (died 1827), both with draped urns. Two fine neoclassical memorials face each other: one to Sarah Jones (died 1796) and John Jones (died 1807) on the north, and one to Thomas Lloyd (died 1775) and Ann Lloyd (died 1787) on the south, featuring a draped sarcophagus and executed by Foster and Walker of Bristol. Above the south door are plaques to E. Colby (died 1824) and G. Davies of Penybeili (early 19th century), the latter with an urn. The south wall bears a Gothic monument to Thomas Lloyd (died 1845) by The Marble Works, Westminster. The north side contains a marble plaque with an urn and tree to Mary Lloyd (died 1830) and a marble pedimented plaque with coloured glass lozenges to Sir M. Lloyd (died 1933).