Parish Church of St. Elli

Parish Church of St. Elli

This Grade II* listed church is constructed in red rubble sandstone with slate roofs. The plan consists of a nave with a west tower, chancel, north aisle, and south porch. Gabled ends feature coped gables with trefoiled kneelers, including those at the east end, aisle, and porch.

The tower is broad and low, with a rectangular projecting stair turret to the southwest topped by a half-timbered gable of 1910–11. A low-set stringcourse runs across the tower face. Paired pointed belfry windows are constructed of red sandstone. The south door is pointed with stone voussoirs and a boarded door. The west window of the tower is probably 16th-century, straight-headed with two chamfered round-arched lights. A tall slated broach spire rises above, with timber louvres at approximately two-thirds height.

The south side of the nave contains two 1868 two-light straight-headed windows either side of the porch, each with cinquefoiled lights. The gabled porch has a chamfered doorway with broach stops and stone benches on each side. The chancel south window has three lights similar to those on the nave's south side; to its right is a blocked pointed priest's door. The aisle's west window dates to 1868 and is Perpendicular in style with three lights. The north side features a central 1868 Bathstone three-light window with straight head. On either side of this are late 15th-century windows with straight heads, each containing two cinquefoiled lights. The east end shows the joint between the chancel and the later aisle, both with late 19th-century Perpendicular three-light windows. A 20th-century flat-roofed boilerhouse stands to the left.

Interior

The porch is fitted with plaster barrel ceilings with timber ribs. The nave and chancel roofs are replacements of 1910–11, but the aisle roof is 15th-century with moulded ribs on deep moulded wall-plates. The nave contains arcades of three bays, and the chancel has two bays, with chamfered arches running right to ground level. The chancel arcade appears to contain older masonry, while that in the nave is almost certainly of 1910–11. A chamfered chancel arch of similar date has the chamfer dying into the jambs. A plain pointed tower arch spans above. Stone-flagged floors run throughout.

A double-arched piscina dates to 1910–11, as do the choirstalls. A 20th-century Jacobean-style communion rail features shaped balusters. A fine altar table, probably early 17th-century, has gadrooned legs and a marquetry frieze; it is said to be ex-situ. The west end of the aisle was partitioned in the 20th century for a vestry.

The font has a rough rounded bowl, probably 12th-century. The stained glass in the east window is dated 1901 but was inserted in 1909 by James Powell of Whitefriars and depicts the Good Shepherd with local landmarks including the Sugar Loaf and the Blorenge. An aisle window of 1968 by Celtic Studios depicts St. Elli.

Monuments and Memorials

Several monuments populate the interior and churchyard. Two slabs in the sanctuary carry figures in relief, one dated 163.. and the other 1646. Various 18th-century slabs include a large wall-slab to John Evans of Danygraig (died 1747) with fine relief marginal carving. Edward (died 1713) and Hannah (died 1711) Lewis of Aberclydach are commemorated by a finely-lettered small brass set in a remarkably crudely carved stone frame with a large winged cherub head below and baying hound's heads terminating the design above. Other notable monuments include: Evan Evans (died 1732), a finely shaped tablet; Hannah Lawrence (died 1838), a sarcophagus type signed by Thomas of Brecon; Catherine Williams of Great Triley (died 1844), a highly carved Gothic tablet with brattishing and polygonal shafts by J. Thomas of Newport; John Maund (died 1850), a very large Gothic wall-monument prominently signed by W. Meredith Thomas of London with ringed shafts, heavy brattishing, and an inscription within a cusped arch; William Williams (died 1860), white marble with fluted three-quarter columns by Tyley of Bristol; and John Powell (died 1865), proprietor of Clydach Ironworks, commemorated by a wide cusped white marble tablet also by Tyley.

Several later 19th-century monuments in the churchyard have stone slabs raised on iron colonnettes, probably made at the nearby Clydach Ironworks.