Church of Saint Cattwg

This Anglican parish church is built of rubble stone with slate roofs and coped gables. It comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, and north aisle.

The Tower

The tower has a very high battered base rising to a string course at mid-height of the west window, topped by a corbelled embattled parapet. The battered base is cut back on the west face to form a battered pier on each side of the west door and window. The moulded pointed west door has two keeled continuous mouldings and a hoodmould, with double 19th-century doors. The two-light west window features medieval carved head stops and another (possibly reset) above, with restored ogee tracery. At mid-height is a small medieval lancet with a triangular head, with a tiny rectangular opening above and a single pointed louvred bell-opening, eroded and dating from the 19th century. The north side has a similar tiny light at mid-height, and all sides have similar bell-openings, some with cusping. The south side has an angled stair projection capped in sloping stone just above the lower string course level.

The Nave

The nave south wall appears entirely 19th-century, built in coursed Pennant stone with tooled stone buttresses and a raised plinth. The windows are of earlier to mid-19th-century Y-tracery type with lively, crudely carved heads to the hoodmoulds and tooled stone voussoirs above.

The Chancel

The chancel has a similar plinth, clasping corner buttresses, and a large pointed three-light east window with intersecting tracery as on the nave south, but cusped. A narrow single light on the south side with a hood appears to be later 19th-century, in Bath stone.

The North Aisle

The north aisle, supposedly added in 1843-4, shows no obvious stonework joint at the west end. It has similar buttresses to the nave and chancel. The large traceried three-light west window with hoodmould and carved head stops may be later 19th-century, with ogee tracery featuring three quatrefoil roundels. The north side has later 19th-century two-light tracery inserted in pointed openings similar to those on the south, with buttresses between. The first window has original voussoirs and hood with carved head stops; the second appears all later 19th-century, perhaps indicating no window was here originally; the third has the original hoodmould and voussoirs; the fourth is as original, with Y-tracery, hood, and crudely carved head stops.

The Organ Chamber

The northeast organ chamber of 1881 has a continuous ridge line, but its walls are inset a little. The north side has a pointed door with continuous roll-mould and hood, later 19th-century, and then an earlier 19th-century Y-tracery window with crudely carved head stops, presumably reset. The east end is windowless.

Interior

The plastered interior has a restored but apparently late medieval panelled barrel roof of eleven by six panels, with a moulded wallplate, moulded beams and ribs, and open panels with exposed rafters. The later 19th-century four-bay north arcade is built of ashlar with octagonal piers, large moulded capitals and bases, and pointed arches with hoodmoulds and three carved flower stops. The west end has a narrow pointed tower arch with 19th-century ashlar in the head, corbelled out from the jambs, and a circa 1900 timber tower screen with leaded glazing. The south side has four Y-tracery windows. The nave has cream tiles to the floor.

The broad later 19th-century ashlar pointed chancel arch has an inner arch on column shafts. A small ashlar pointed arch to the left is infilled with painted organ pipes. The chancel has a plain plastered pointed roof and coved cornice, possibly earlier 19th-century, later 19th-century patterned tiled floor, and steps up to the altar with brass altar rails. The north wall has an opening for the organ and a pointed vestry door to the right.

The north aisle has a pointed panelled roof in four by eleven panels with moulded ribs and cornice. The east end has a later 19th-century opening with an ashlar moulded pointed head and plain ashlar jambs, infilled with painted organ pipes. The west window is column-shafted with a hoodmould. The tower base has a pointed medieval south door.

Fittings

The pulpit is an ornate white limestone carving of 1872 on a green marble squat column shaft. The five-sided top has Gothic low-relief patterned carving, three sides with vesica-shaped panels and two with latticed patterns, plus a carved floral cornice. It has ashlar low curving steps.

The font is an ornate alabaster and marble piece of 1909 by Arthur Grove, with a tapered octagonal bowl inscribed to Reverend L. Jones, vicar from 1877 to 1899, and a roundel cross infilled in lapis-lazuli. The octagonal shaft has four column shafts. The font cover is an unusual painted wood Symbolist piece with a gold domed temple on a silver stepped ziggurat with a red angel on each side, the ziggurat standing on a green sea with fishes. The font cover hangs by a chain from a dove.

A similar main altar, probably also of 1909, is in alabaster with marble panels outlined in chequered mosaic and with a centre lozenge panel with cross in lapis-lazuli infill. The surround is possibly later, with plain marble side piers and a reredos with a central three-sided niche, and a brattished purple marble thin top cornice carrying gilded openwork cresting with two angels and a chalice over the centre. The cresting and possibly the whole reredos date from 1960. There is Gothic oak panelling with blind tracery on each side, from the earlier 20th century.

Brass later 19th-century standards to the altar rails have twisted shafts and Gothic scrolls. Oak later 19th-century stalls have carved bench ends and open traceried panels. Pine later 19th-century pews are present. Gothic chairs, possibly earlier 19th-century but given in 1917-18, include two on the chancel north, three on the chancel south, and a row of six and a half under the tower.

The organ on the chancel north side has painted pipes and a minimal Gothic case. It was made in 1868 and enlarged in 1883.

Memorials

At the west end: an alabaster ornate late Gothic frame to a marble plaque to T.S. Sutton of Glynleiros (died 1896) and an ashlar Gothic crocketted memorial to E. Sutton of Glynleiros (died 1872).

Nave south: a neo-Grec sarcophagus memorial to J. Edwards Vaughan MP of Rheola (died 1833), by P. Rogers of Swansea. Four marble plaques: to W. Gronow of Court Herbert (died 1830) by Tyley of Bristol, to Mary Ann Gronow (died 1832) by H. Hopper of London, to Edward Hawkins of Court Herbert (died 1816), and to Sir RJA Kemeys of Ynysarwed (died 1832) by Reeves & Son of Bath.

Chancel north: plaques to M. Fredericks (died 1859) by P. Rogers; to D.A. Bowzer (died 1814), an Adamesque draped urn by Tyler; a neo-Grec plaque to Mary Place of Glynleiros (died 1836); a plain plaque to John Place senior and junior (died 1821 and 1823); a plaque to Sarah Place by Bowen of Cadoxton; a brass plaque to T. Leyson of Penscynor (died 1881); a brass to RWN Leyson (died 1912 aboard RMS Titanic); a fine neo-Grec memorial with portrait relief to Lieutenant Colonel R. Place (died 1828) by J. Ternouth; a plaque with draped urn to W. Place (died 1828) and C.P. Jones Place (died 1847).

Chancel south: a pedimented memorial to Jane Llewelyn (died 1766) with cherub below; a painted plaster early 18th-century ornate armorial plaque; a shield plaque to M. Williams of Dyffryn (died 1844) by Reeves; a fine memorial to John Llewelin of Ynysgerwyn (died 1758) in grey marble shouldered surround with scroll pediment and arms; an ornate early 18th-century memorial with crude Corinthian columns, cornice and broken curved pediment with arms, to the Llewelyns of Ynysgerwyn (1696-1722).

Chancel west wall: a plaque with Adamesque urn to possibly Kemeys; a fine Coade stone plaque to Thomas Williams (died 1802) with mourning woman, signed Coade & Sealy.

In the vestry: two painted board memorials to Jane Williams of Dyffryn (died 1726) and to Rose Williams (died 1680) with rhymed inscription; a brass plaque to the Williams family to 1729.

North aisle west: a plaque to the Francis family (died 1769-1798); an incised plaque to R. Francis (died 1764) signed RP.

North aisle north: a carved plaque with grape and passion flower to the Jones of Rockfield (died 1872-86); a neo-Grec memorial to NW Edwards Vaughan of Rheola (died 1858) by Skelton of York; Michael Allen of Rockfield (died 1838), mixed neo-Tudor and Greek; a marble plaque to Pendrill Charles (died 1857) by Cade of Bristol; a plain plaque to G. Vaughan of Rheola (died 1844) by Rogers of Swansea; a painted wood plaque to E. Tennant of Cadoxton Lodge (died 1851).

North aisle east: a fine Della Robbia ware coloured ceramic plaque to Daphne Tennant (died 1908); an ornate late Gothic style stone surround to a plaque to George Tennant (died 1832); a marble open book to C. Tennant (died 1873) by Perry, Lewis & Morris of Swansea.

Stained Glass

Nave south second: colourful glass of Christ after the resurrection, to C.A. Thomas of Rockfield (died 1903). Nave south third: good High Victorian glass of Christ and children to G.B. Williams of Aberdulais (died 1863). Nave south fourth: faded bright coloured glass of the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Good Samaritan, to Evan Evans (died 1871).

East window: Road to Calvary, Ascension and the Angel at the Tomb, brightly coloured, to N. Edwards Vaughan of Rheola (died 1868) by Arthur O'Connor.

South chancel lancet: patterned 19th-century glass with chalice.

North aisle west: good Lamb of God window to Reverend D. Griffith (died 1875). North aisle first: Faith, Hope and Charity by Mayer of Munich to C. Jones of Rockfield (died 1897). North aisle second and third: Christ in the Temple and Gethsemane, High Victorian Gothic of quality, to R.H. Miers of Ynyspenllwch (died 1870).