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.
Please enter a number
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.
St Nicholas’ Church lies on a low hill on the eastern side but within the walled town of Montgomery overlooking the Vale of Montgomery towards the Shropshire Hills to the east and south and the Long Mountain to the northeast. The town is 37 km south west of Shrewsbury along the B4386, 13km south from Welshpool along the B4388 and 15km north east of Newtown along the A483 then the B4385.
Route Planner Directions, traffic and maps AA
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 town takes its name from Roger de Montgomery, earl of Shrewsbury who created a motte and bailey castle about 1 km north of the present town at Hen Domen. As an historic environment Montgomery has examples of every historic period from the iron age fort to the north west of the town through a roman fort about 2 km north west of the town and then within the present built up area. A castle was built here by Henry III in 1223 and the borough was granted a charter in 1277. The church was then built at the same time and much of the original structure still exists although initially is was a chapelry of the neighbouring priory at Chirbury about 4 km towards Shrewsbury and across the Welsh/English border. The Lymore Chapel is said to have been added in the late C13 and it is possible that the chancel was extended in the late C13. Restoration work in 1543 carried out works on a steeple and the chancel screen was added at a cost of £155.
Further repairs to the steeple and bells were recorded in 1655, a War of the Three Kingdoms (Civil War) battle had taken place outside the town on 18 September 1644. The tower was lowered and crenelated. In 1816 the tower was taken down and the present tower erected at the north end of the north transept, the work being paid for by Lord Clive, third earl of Powys at a cost of £1700. A vestry was added between 1840 and 1850.
Significant restoration occurred in 1868 under G Beadnell including the restoration of the west window, re-pointing and colouring the walls and the replacement of the chancel ceiling. The old porch was removed and replaced by a new one using an oak purlin from the wagon roof in the nave.
In 1875 G E Street prepared a report on the church suggesting that the north arcade be recreated and the chancel reroofed according to whatever was found to be the medieval intention. The work was done by Edward Haycock the Younger between 1877 and 1878. The north transept arcade was inserted in place of existing iron pillars and the existing gallery was taken out and the floors levelled and covered with tiles, the old two-decker pulpit and box pews were replaced. Further repairs were undertaken in 1893 and 1914. In 1923, when the Welsh Church was disestablished the parish was transferred from Hereford into St Asaph Diocese. Major restoration took place 1969-70 under the direction of Anthony Catwin when a new ceiling was inserted in the chancel
References
Cadw Listings Notice
Buildings of Wales – Powys 2013
CPAT Montgomeryshire Churches Survey Lost Battlefields of Wales Martin Hacketty
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The church consists of a nave and chancel in one, north and south transepts (strictly chapels), a north tower, south porch and a vestry on the north side of the chancel. It was built with small to medium sized blocks of random red sandstone, and grey or grey-green shales with some inserted bricks, sandstone dressings and evidence of limewash. The roof is of slate with black ceramic ridge tiles, but red ridge tiles on the porch. There are stone cross finials at the west end of the nave, and the transepts and a wooden one on the porch while on the end of the chancel it is wrought iron. The tower is of four stages of rubble construction with ashlar dressings. On the west side is a round painted clock dated 1816.
CPAT Montgomeryshire Churches Survey
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.
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 porch is approached along a sunken pathway across the churchyard, it has a stone flagged floor with a roof supported by a single peaked collar truss with cusped raking and a ceiling plastered above the exposed rafters. The door leads in to the nave with a C19 tiled floor, plastered walls with deeply splayed windows and a roof in two parts. The western end has a late C15/earlyC16 hammer beam roof with six cusped, arch-braced trusses forming five bays, and four tiers of quatrefoil windbraces with moulded purlins and rafters. The wall plates are decorated with blind ogee-traceried panels. The hammerbeams spring from wooden wall posts on the north and south walls. The eastern part of the nave, as far as the screen, is probably C16 and consists of a wagon roof divided into 80 square plastered panels defined by moulded ribs with coloured bosses at the intersection. During the C19 restorations it was confirmed that the arch-braced roof does not continue under the wagon roof.
The north Transept has a floor of tiles, plaster walls and ceiling with access to the tower where there are toilets.
The south transept – the Lymore chapel has a C19 tiled floor with a C17 roof restored in 1886 and on the south wall is a faint medieval wall painting. The most significant feature are the two recumbent alabaster effigies of men in armour. The earlier one with a jupon over his armour, is probably Sir Edmund Mortimer dated as 1534 while the latter is documented by Lord Herbert of Chirbury as Sir Richard Herbert 1408 but on stylistic grounds because of his shoes and Yorkist collar it must have been made c150. Both come from vanished table tombs. The magnificent Elizabethan Canopied tomb dates from 1600 designed by Walter Hancock, a master mason from High Ercall in Shropshire. Herbert lies beside his wife and their eight children are featured in paired arcades and include Lord Herbert of Chirbury and George Herbert.
Entry into the chancel is through a double medieval rood screen, the front being of this church the chancel portion coming from the Augustian Priory at Chirbury across the border, brought at the Dissolution, it has been compared to those in Ludlow and Leintwardine. The Perpendicular monastic screen is of five bays a side originally closed by panels. There are nine lively misericords: an eagle, a priest, a dual, a lost soul taken to hell, and other narrative scenes. The space between the screens has room of two pews and there are Jacobean gates with little balusters on the way through to the choir.
The font is C13 with a squat hourglass-shaped cylinder with a band at its waits. The oak octagonal pulpit was designed by Street and is carved with figures in the niches. Carpenter and Inglow carved the reredos in Caen stone and alabaster – it was designed as a frame for the east window. The four alabaster figures are by T Earp while the mosaic figures are the Evangelists and Prophets and are by Clayton & Bell.
The stained glass: ‘The Adoration of the shepherds and Magi’ 1902, Charles Hean (artist G L Merchant); ‘Receiving the crown of Life’ 1928, William Morris &Co; ‘The George Herbert Window’ 2002, Glantawe Studios (artist John Edwards); ‘The Ascension & Crucifixion’, 1859, Thomas Baile.
The are six bells in the tower, 5 date form 1724 by Abraham II Rudhall and one dated 1814 by John Briant
A National Bell Register - George Dawson's Website - Homestead
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.