The name or dedication of the church.
This identifies the church type. Most churches are parish churches which means they serve a specific parish or area. Other types such as chapel, daughter and mission are mostly historic designations as many are now also parish churches. Please note that former churches are no longer used for worhsip and may be in private ownership.
A unique identification number given to every church.
The name of the diocese in which the church is located.
The name of the archdeaconry in which the church is located.
This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.
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There are 3 levels of listing: Grade I, II* & II. The majority of buildings which are of special interest are Grade II. A much smaller number of particularly important buildings are listed as Grade II*. Buildings of exceptional interest (approx 2% of the total number of listed buildings) are Grade I.
Ancient monuments and archaeological remains of national importance are protected by law. Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service is responsible for compiling a schedule (list) of these ancient monuments, some of which can be found in churches and churchyards. Examples can include churchyard crosses and the archaeological remains of previous churches or buildings on the site.
There are three National Parks in Wales: Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons. These protect 20 percent of the land in Wales, including precious landscapes, habitats, villages and heritage sites.
There are over 500 conservation areas in Wales. They are designated by local planning authorities for their special architectural and historic interest.
The Buildings at Risk register is managed by Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service) in order to identify the number and type of listed buildings at risk in Wales.
It is often extremely difficult to determine a precise date of construction for a church as many have been extensively altered over time. Church Heritage Cymru therefore shows a date range within which a church is believed to have been constructed. The dates are as follows: Early Medieval (pre 1066), Medieval (post 1066 to 1540), Post Medieval (1540 to 1837), Victorian/Pre WWI (1837 to 1914) and Modern (post 1914).
This is a very brief summary of the church's main features. More detailed nformation can be found in the other fields and pages (tabs) in this database.
Useful information is displayed here for people wishing to visit the church. This may include things like opening hours, catering & toilet facilities, parking, etc.
If the church has its own website the details will be displayed here.
Any further sources of information for the church will be listed here (eg. links to other historic databases).
This is the Ordnance Survey (OS) reference for the location of the church. Some locations will be approximate as this data is continuously being refined and updated.
This is the name of the Local Authoirity within which the church is located.
This describes how the church relates to its immediate and wider environment, sometimes called its setting. It describes how the church contributes to its landscape or townscape and how these things collectively contribute to the character of the area.
Grosmont is 19km north west of Monmouth along the B4347, the church is in the centre of Grosmont.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 161 Cadw Listing Notice 1947
This is a description of the ground plan of the church.
If known, the dimensions (measurements) of the church ground plan will be displayed here.
If the footrprint (area) of the church is known, it will be displayed here.
A description of the history and archaeology of the church and its site.
The great C13 cruciform church has been described as a miniature cathedral and its large size marks the important standing of Grosmont during the early medieval period. The tradition that Grosmont church was started by Brian de Wallingford in the C12 and was completed by a French architect employed by Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III, seems to have no documentary basis. The magnificent unrestored nave dating from the early C13 may once have had wider aisles, the aisle walls were possibly narrowed in the C15 when the tower and N porch were added. The medieval church at Grosmont survived largely unaltered until the mid C19, but by then had fallen into disrepair and the tower was in danger of collapse. Between 1869-79 J.P.Seddon almost entirely rebuilt the chancel and transepts and underpinned the crossing steeple, in a sweeping reconstruction financed by the Rolls family of The Hendre. No detailed plans of the original church seem to survive; it is thus difficult to unravel the extent of Seddon's changes. Although some of the C13 fabric appears to have been saved and reused, it is evident that Seddon did not carry out a strictly faithful reconstruction. The altar was raised, a new E window replaced the early C13 triple lancets, a larger window was installed in the NE transept; and a piscina taken out of the Eleanor Chapel and moved to the N transept. In 1888 Seddon began a restoration the nave, replacing two 'unsightly', square windows (presumably late C15 Perp) with triple lancets. But the nave itself escaped major C19 restoration so that today the contrast between the two different parts of the church is very remarkable.
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
Red sandstone rubble with some ashlar dressings, slate roofs. Cruciform plan; aisled nave, transepts, crossing-tower, chancel, S chapel, N porch. Rectangular nave with N and S aisles enclosed by single roof with double slope. Nave N wall has centre porch; walls each side are blind. Gabled porch has corner buttresses with offsets and arch braced collar truss roof. To right is flat headed 2-light trefoil window; to left, a single light window with cinquefoil head. Moulded pointed arched inner doorway; hood mould with figural label-stops. Nave roof, N side has large gabled dormer next to crossing; 2-light pointed arched window with Y-tracery. N transept has 3-light pointed arched window; and transept E wall a C19 5-light window with three trefoils. Windows of chancel and S chapel all date from the C19 restoration. N chancel has seven lancets; S chancel seven smaller lancets. E End has 3-light pointed arched window with dripmould and geometrical tracery. Attached to the S of the chancel is the 'Eleanor' Chapel with smaller 3-light E window and trefoil to tracery. Eleanor chapel, S wall has (r to l) a blind rectangular panel to upper wall, a double lancet, a circular window with inset quatrefoil, another double lancet and finally a pair of pointed arched doorways with common dripmould. S Transept, a tall triple lancet, and a single lancet. Nave S wall, two smaller C19 triple lancet windows. W window is pointed-arched with reticulated tracery; ground floor entrance doorway has four-centred arch and with dripmould, and studded double-doors. The walls on each side are buttressed at the junction with the aisles, with a single small lancet windows to W walls of the aisles on each side. Octagonal C15 Tower is broached at base; each face of belfry has a louvred pointed arched opening with a 2-light trefoil and traceried quatrefoil. Plain coped parapet with rainwater spouts projecting at each corner; tall stone spire with small upper lucarnes capped by gablets and ornamental weathervane.
Information about any noteable architects, artists, people, or events associated with the church.
Information about any important features and building fabric.
If known, a list of the church's major building material/s will be displayed here.
Any renewable energy systems the church is using will be listed here.
The name/dedication of the church and its location.
A brief description of the image.
The date the image was created.
Copyright details.
The name of the person who inputted the image.
This section gives a general description of the interior of the church. Further details of any important internal fixtures and fittings will be listed below.
The interior is remarkable for the striking contrast between the great unrestored nave, with stripped walls and roughly paved floor, and the C19 reconstructed chancel and transepts, completely cut off from the nave by Seddon's glazed screen of 1888. Nave is of 5 bays. Early C13 arcades have pointed double-chamfered arches and rounded piers with moulded caps and bases with a waterholding moulding. Crown-post rafter roof, axial struts support crown plate which has traces of painted decoration on soffit. At the junction of nave aisles and N and S transepts the walls have large blind arches; to NW a great semi-circular arch and to SW a large pointed arch, suggesting that originally the aisles were either once wider or intended to be wider. Seddon's great glazed wooden screen encloses the W arch of the crossing and is set with small geometric panes of plain glass. The upper screen encloses the head of the crossing arch above impost level and has pointed arched panels with multifoil heads, below is a boarded rood canopy supported by compound curved consoles, the lower stage of the screen is formed by eight glazed panels with cinquefoil heads, the centre panels form glazed double-doors. Although Seddon underpinned the crossing arches, and replaced the crocket capitals, many of the stone voussoirs look older and are probably C13. Transept, N wall has C13 piscina with dog-tooth moulded basin (moved by Seddon from Eleanor Chapel); and SE wall a broad Tudor arched recess. The chancel is almost entirely a C19 reconstruction by Seddon. Few features from the C13 church have survived: the attenuated detached shafts of the lancets are probably C13, S Chancel wall has a fine C13 double piscina with dog-tooth moulded in a cinquefoil niche and the pointed arched dripmould above the door to the Eleanor Chapel is probably C13. However, what remains is strongly C19 in character. The altar was raised by Seddon and the stone flagged floor replaced by C19 encaustic tiles. To left and right of altar, aumbry and sedilia with shouldered arches are both C19, so too is the boarded wagon roof. C19 Italianate style pulpit, polygonal with shallow arcade of open trefoils carried on short marble shafts and with marble rail. Font, probably early C12: octagonal bowl with roundels on each face, single band of cable moulding and drum pedestal. Stained glass: E window of 1879 'feading of the five thousand' in style of Heaton, Butler & Bayne. Organ, 1845 Finger barrel organ by Joseph Walker of London. Seddon's Screen of 1888 by Robert Clark of Hereford. Furnishings: SE nave; large plank chest ('Grosmont Hutch'), top lid divided with strap hinges. Monuments: S chancel; Joseph Austin (died 1816) slate with white marble panel in relief, surmounted by sarcophagus. S transept, rectangular tomb slab (ex situ) with marginal inscription and effigies of Charles William of Goytre (Mayor of Grosmont and Deputy Steward of Duchy of Lancaster) and his wife Joan Baker, dated 1636. SE nave; large, possibly C13, tomb slab; crudely carved effigy of recumbent knight, shield at side, hands closed in prayer. Nave S aisle; John James of Kingsfield (died 1814), oval slate tablet with white marble urn in relief, and to Amey James (died 1771) rectangular stone tablet with broken pediment, curved apron with angel head and wings. Nave N aisle; wall tablets to Susannah Watkins (died 1761), Beatrix Prichard (died 1752), Elizabeth Gilbert (died 1772), and Judith Pomphrey Austin (died 1795); square tablet with fluted pilasters on each side supporting roundels at the angles. Nave floor incorporates a number of stone memorial slabs, mostly C19.
Information about the church's important internal fixtures and fittings.
Information about the church's important moveable items and artworks.
A description of the ecology of the churchyard.
Information about the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.
Records whether the church has been consecrated.
Records whether there have been burials in the churchyard.
Records whether the churchyard is still being used for burials.
Records whether there are any war graves in the churchyard.
Any important churchyard structures will be listed here.
Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship of the church to its surrounding area and helps place it within its wider landscape context.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the significance of the historic building fabric of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the historic significance of the interior of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship between the church and its community.