Church of Saint Tudwal

Church of Saint Tudwal

This parish church is built of rubble stone with close-eaved slate roofs. The plan comprises a west tower, nave and chancel with large transepts, a north porch, and a southeast vestry.

The west tower is of two separate builds, marked by a projecting course at mid height. It has a corbelled embattled parapet and a northeast stair tower with five loops. The west side contains a blocked very low west door with rough voussoirs and a 19th-century two-light window above. Above the mid-height course and right of centre are some rough stone voussoirs of unknown purpose. The bell-opening is plain with two lights and louvred rectangular openings. The north side has an altered two-light bell-opening to the right of the stair tower. The south side has a small projection apparently for a lost stair at ground floor level, a small single light at mid height, and a single bell-opening. The east side has a two-light opening with rectangular louvred lights.

The nave's north side has a two-light window with an older relieving arch over it, to the right of a gabled porch of 1888. The porch has a pointed chamfered entry and a piece of 19th-century tracery in the gable above, a boarded roof within, and 1953 oak double doors with iron studs. The north transept is windowless to the west and has a large 19th-century Y-tracery two-light window to the north and a small one to the east. The nave's south side has two similar two-light windows, with much rebuilt walling. The south transept is windowless to the sides and has a Y-tracery south window. A roughcast lean-to vestry is set in the angle to the east, with a two-light south window and a pointed door reached by 20th-century concrete steps to the east. The chancel's south side has a 19th-century small cusped two-light window and a Y-tracery east window. Its north side is windowless.

The windows are generally of 1863 with Y-tracery two-light design.

The interior was stripped of plaster in the late 20th century and cement-pointed, exposing rough relieving arches over the original windows. The roofs date to 1876 and feature thin arch-braced collar trusses (four to the nave) and crossed diagonal trusses at the crossing. The building has wooden suspended floors. Windows retain plaster reveals.

The west tower arch is broad and low due to the 1876 raising of floors. It is pointed with rough stone voussoirs and some rough stones above, possibly a relieving arch. The line of the pre-1876 roof is visible above. To the left of the tower arch is half of a blocked round-arched opening, perhaps a door. The tower itself has a low rendered vault and a low pointed stair door. A cambered-headed recess marks where the west door was, with a 19th-century window above.

The north transept has a chamfered northwest angle and marks of a lower roofline, with a relieving arch over the north window. The chancel arch is plastered and slightly pointed. The south transept has no arch but has raised piers on each side and four 19th-century arch-braced collar trusses to the roof. The chancel has a two-bay roof of arch-braced collar trusses. On the north side, a cambered-headed recess is the remnant of a squint passage. A damaged piscina is in the south wall, along with a pointed-arched door to the vestry and a cambered head to a curved recess to the right. The vestry contains three good oak doors of the 1950s with Gothic tracery, opening to the chancel, south transept, and exterior to the east.

The furnishings include a large square stone 12th-century font with tapered sides, retooled in the 19th century, on a round squat shaft and moulded base. A 20th-century neo-Jacobean font cover dates to around 1955. A tall oak pulpit of 1917 by the Bromsgrove Guild is octagonal with a slightly inset panelled base and tall panelled upper part with horizontal lettered panels under a moulded top rail. The tall panels have a traceried opening on the west and south. A tall 19th-century timber eagle lectern on a twisted baluster is probably locally made.

The 1953 north doors have Gothic blind tracery with two shields and good ironwork. A west tower screen of around 1953 features Gothic oak woodwork and double doors.

Painted grained box pews probably of 1863 have panelled doors with pointed shouldered bench ends, plain panelled backs, and doors. A northwest corner bench has a higher bench end. The box pews in the transepts face inward and overlap those in the nave; the south transept has pews only in the west half, with an altar and kneelers on the east side.

The chancel contains fine fittings of the 1950s and 1960s: two oak reading desks with kneelers and seats, another chair and kneeler, stalls with traceried bench ends and scrolls typical of the Caroe firm, and kneeler-type altar rails with pierced tracery under the top. The altar has pilasters and a pierced roundel with matching panelling on the east wall, returned on the north and south with pilasters. A small missal table is also present.

The south transept contains some curious pieces of 19th-century carved oak reused as bench ends (five in all), with narrow uprights and dense carving.

The east window is a two-light stained glass composition by Kempe & Co, dated 1921, depicting the Adoration of the Magi.

A marble plaque commemorates Richard Mathias of Hayston (died 1835) and his sister (died 1849).