Church of St James, Rudry

Early-English style church consisting of W tower, nave with porch, and a lower and narrower chancel. Of rubble stone walls and concrete tile roofs. The nave is 3 bays and has 2 C19 lancets with hood moulds and uncarved stops R of the C19 porch. The porch has a coped gable on moulded kneelers and a doorway with 2-centred arch and 2 orders of chamfers without capitals. The chancel S wall has a similar lancet on R side, and a blocked former priest's door to its L. The E window is 2-light with geometric tracery and a hood mould with head stops. The chancel wall is battered at the base on the N side. The nave N wall has a lancet to L similar to S side above a blocked doorway (possibly to former rood loft), and a reset and part renewed C16 window of 2 lights and cusped ogee heads.

The 3-stage tower is battered at the base and has a saddleback roof, characteristic of the area. The W door has a semi-circular head and a bullnose surround. The boarded W door has ornate cast iron strap hinges. The middle stage has small blocked windows on the W and S sides, and the bell stage has 2-light flat-headed windows on the N, S and E sides.

Internal features belong almost entirely to C19 restoration. The nave roof has closely spaced trusses with collar beams above raking struts. The chancel roof is similar with a boarded ceilure over the altar. The chancel arch is 2-centred, with 2 orders of chamfers. The round-headed tower arch is early medieval.

The font is post-Reformation, possibly early C19 before Prichard's restoration. It has a square bowl with wave-moulded sides, on a square pedestal with deep chamfers at the corners. The wooden pulpit is small and has a polygonal front with open arcading. The sanctuary has a moulded communion rail on chased metal posts with foliage brackets. Stained glass in the E window is by W Maile & Son, of 1934. A white marble wall tablet to those who fought in the 1914-18 wall is on the N wall of the nave.