Church of All Saints

Church of All Saints

An Anglican church built in rock-faced squared red Sawdde sandstone with grey Forest of Dean stone dressings and a slate roof. The building is designed in the Free Perpendicular Gothic style, comprising a nave and chancel under a single roof, with a south-west porch-tower and north-east vestry. Coped gables with cross finials crown the structure.

The south side is divided into two bays, which are differentiated as the chancel by single buttresses and raised window sills. Two chancel windows feature 4-centred arches with three lights and varied tracery to the heads. The nave has one similar but longer window and one pointed 2-light window, both with sill courses.

The square-plan tower is undifferentiated between plinth and ashlar, with an embattled parapet. Large ashlar gargoyles are prominent features. The bell-lights are plain with flat heads, three lights, and hoodmoulds. A mid-height square south window contains quatrefoil tracery, and a small light opens to the east side. The ground floor has a south segmental-pointed moulded doorway and an east flat-headed 2-light window. Within is a segmental-pointed inner door and access to the tower stair. The stair rises in a small octagonal angle turret to mid-height of the tower, with a plain ashlar parapet and two small lights in the south-west face.

The west end of the nave features a stepped mid-buttress, high battered plinth, two segmental-pointed traceried 2-light windows with deep hoodmoulds, and a small rose window over the buttress. An ashlar band ornaments the gable apex.

The north side contains three bays to the nave, divided by buttresses, each with a 3-light segmental-pointed window. The chancel has a gabled vestry with a north octagonal ashlar stack and single lights on each side, with a door on the east side. One chancel single-light window sits to the left of the vestry.

The east end features diagonal buttresses with gabled caps and a high sill-course beneath a 5-light 4-centred window.

Interior

The interior forms a single broad space with plastered walls. The nave roof is open-rafter construction, while the chancel roof is panelled and boarded. A 4-centred arched truss on corbels marks the division between nave and chancel. Three steps lead up to the chancel, which has dwarf ashlar walls, a tiled floor with two steps to the sanctuary and one to the altar. A segmental-pointed arch opens to the north organ recess and vestry. The left south window has a dropped sill forming a seat. A traceried square-headed piscina stands to the left.

The font is a plain monolith octagonal form with matching base. The pulpit is an ornate ashlar work by Clarke of Llandaff, featuring Gothic panelled design with canted angles, a moulded cornice and base, and a squat round column supporting grey Forest of Dean stone attached shafts. The side panels are infilled with alabaster in several shades of pink. A brass lectern stands nearby.

The chancel stalls, crafted in pitch pine, feature an openwork band of quatrefoil panels. Altar rails have twisted iron standards and ornate scroll brackets. A timber screen to the vestry bears a pierced brattished cornice. Within the vestry stands a re-used panelled pew and a coffin bier.

The east end displays full-width highly ornate tiling beneath a painted stone cornice gabled over a central cross feature in tiles. A yellow tiled band below the cornice bears the inscription 'Myfi yw bara y bywyd' in blue letters. Below this, moulded embossed cornice work sits above square tile panels with quatrefoils framing squares containing five repeated symbols on pale blue grounds: corn, crown of thorns, lilies, rose and chalice. Another embossed course follows, above a dado of pointed-arched panels with tall floral motifs on pale blue grounds. Arabesque patterns in brown and cream appear between, with a course below comprising brown panels with fleurs-de-lys over a moulded brown plinth.

The five-light east window, dated 1899, was created by Robert Newbery for I C B Lewis of Gwynfe House. It depicts the Annunciation across the two left lights, the Good Shepherd in the centre, and the Nativity across the two right lights.

A neo-Grec plaque on the south wall, created by P Rogers of Swansea, commemorates the Reverend Lewis Lewis of Cwm Clydach, who died in 1826.