Church of St Michael

Church of St Michael

This is a parish church of medieval origins, constructed in rubble stone with parallel slate roofs and a stone west bellcote on the south nave. The church comprises two naves with lower chancels, a northwest lean-to vestry (later altered to a boiler room), and a south porch. The building exhibits a mix of original late medieval windows in red sandstone alongside 19th-century windows in grey sandstone ashlar.

The west end of the south nave features a pointed three-light window with Bath stone plate tracery dated 1874, with purple stone voussoirs. A coped gable and 1874 bellcote are corbelled on a pointed arch with buttressed sides and a stone-coped steep gable containing a single shouldered-arched opening for the bell.

The large south porch has a slate roof, windowless sides, and an early 19th-century round arch with red stone voussoirs and wrought iron gates. Inside is a plastered round vault and double 19th-century doors. A carved memorial to David Jones (died 1719) and John Jones (died 1739), physicians of Myddfai, is displayed here.

The south nave's outer wall contains a large 19th-century three-light flat-headed sandstone window with cusped head and hood, followed by two added raking buttresses and a projection for a former rood stair with a similarly inserted large 19th-century three-light window. A corbelled canted side sits to the upper right, then a late medieval flat-headed two-light window with hoodmould beneath the eaves, positioned over a single medieval pointed window slightly to the left. Both presumably lit the rood stair. The south chancel is considerably lower with a battered base, traces of render on walls, and heavy rounded stone corbels under the eaves. Two late medieval flat-headed two-light windows with hoods appear here; the left window displays three grotesque heads carved on its hoodmould. A door to the left of centre has early 19th-century red stone voussoirs and keystone to a depressed arch. The broad east gable contains a three-light late medieval window with flat head and hoodmould.

The north chancel has a crude but ambitious segmental-pointed late medieval three-light east window with traceried head and hoodmould. Its north side shows a three-light late medieval segmental-pointed window with hood, less elaborately decorated. The north nave contains a 19th-century pointed three-light window with crude Perpendicular-style tracery, a datestone of 1819, and one late medieval flat-headed long three-light window with hood. An added lean-to semi-basement store lies beneath. To the right is the former vestry, a lean-to with continuous roof and two red stone recessed depressed-arched windows from 1926: a two-light window to the left of the door and a single light to the right. The door is boarded with an oak lintel. The west end has a round-arched window with purple stone voussoirs dated 1808 on the keystone, with inserted crude 19th-century tracery in grey sandstone forming a three-light arrangement.

Interior

The interior features stone-flagged floors and whitewashed walls, with a stone arcade separating the two halves. Late medieval panelled barrel roofs cover both naves and both chancels. The south nave roof comprises 12 bays with missing longitudinal ribs; the lateral ribs are bead-moulded and stopped before bosses at former intersections. Most bosses were replaced in 1992, though some original examples remain. The south wall has a large arched recess that originally housed the rood stair, lit by two small medieval windows to the left; a 19th-century window now occupies the recess. A plastered pointed chancel arch on plain stone piers with chamfered edges and plain caps separates the nave from the chancel. Affixed to the interior are earlier 19th-century stone Creed and Lord's Prayer panels, with a Ten Commandments panel adjoining on the south chancel wall, all set within reeded stone frames. A small whitewashed Tudor-arched recess appears on the south wall, with a cambered head to one window reveal and a straight head to the other. Between the chancels is a broad Tudor-arched opening with a double-chamfer stone arch on half-octagonal piers with moulded caps and bases. Between the naves stands a four-bay stone arcade with double-chamfer pointed arches on octagonal piers with moulded bases and caps.

The north nave has a panelled barrel roof of 16 by 6 panels with mouldings but without stop-chamfers. A medieval stone pointed chancel arch with double-chamfer rests on half-octagonal piers. The north chancel roof comprises 5 by 6 panels. Its east end was divided off as a vestry in 1874 by a screen.

A plain medieval octagonal font in conglomerate stone stands on a matching splayed octagonal base. A displaced medieval stoup is stored in the north vestry.

Fittings and Furnishings

Dating to 1874 are the pine pews, pulpit, reading desk, altar rails, and vestry screens. The altar rails feature open quatrefoil panels with wrought iron inserts. Encaustic tile flooring lies in the chancel.

Memorials and Monuments

In the south chancel, a plain plaque commemorates Reverend J Price (died 1819) by D Beynon of Cilycwm. The east wall displays a fine marble memorial to Erasmus Williams of Llwynywormwood (died 1785) by Thomas Paty & Sons of Bristol, featuring festooned pilasters and a top urn on a finely carved pedestal with scroll abutments. In the north nave, Ann Price of Williamsfield (died 1835) is commemorated with a grey and white marble memorial with a large well-carved urn by Thomas & Son of Brecon. Another monument to Reverend Lewis Williams (died 1843) in grey and white marble with a cherub head in clouds is also by Thomas & Son, Brecon. The north chancel contains lettered floor slabs, including one to Thomas Rice of Gorllwyn (died 1691) and one to Henry Owen (died 1727), referring to his Civil War ancestor Bishop Owen. A monument to Magdalen Price of Porthyrhyd (died 1829) by J Thomas & Son of Brecon features a small sarcophagus urn. In the north vestry are plain plaques to Jenkin Phillips of Blaenyddol (died 1797, with a tablet from 1854 by Noble of London) and Gwenllian Bishop (died 1841) by Pollard of Taunton. A slate plaque with cherub head commemorates Elizabeth Jones of Penyrhoc, and a marble oval with Greek urn honours Magdalen Price (died 1831). At the west end of the south nave are memorials to J Pryse Bishop (died 1892, a draped oval plaque), Charles Bishop (died 1886, with scrolled angles), and Lieutenant Arthur Bishop (died 1864, a plain oval signed by J Edwards of London). A fourth memorial to John Bishop (1831) also by Edwards has fallen and been removed.

A painted 19th-century hatchment bearing the Holford coat of arms adorns the north nave wall.

Wall Painting

Tiny fragments of wall painting are exposed on the north chancel's north wall and to the right of the south chancel arch. Black-letter text appears on the south chancel's east wall.