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.
Llanidloes lies in the upper reaches of the Severn Valley at a point where the river is joined by a major upland tributary the Clywedog and is bypassed by the A470 but here effectively the road from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth. Shrewsbury lies about 75 km north west while Aberystwyth is 50km due west.
References
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.
Llanidloes as a town developed under the aegis of Edward I as a ‘planted town’ but the dedication to St Idloes indicates a Celtic origin. An earlier settlement produced the daughter church to the clas settlement at Llandinam. Given the angular nature of the roads and plots it would seem that the town then grew round the existing church. The town developed such that by 1309 it had 66 bugesses was a first borough charter was granted in 1344. The two stage timber-belfry on the typical Marches tower indicates a C14 origin with the body of the building of the same date but which underwent major rebuilding in C16 when in 1542 both the arcade and south door along with the fine hammerbeam roof were imported from the former Cistercian monastery at (Abbey)Cwmhir following its dissolution in 1536. To accommodate the arrival of the hammerbeam roof the main roof was raised by 3m. The north aisle was added at this time. Further restoration occurred in 1816 when the box pews were added and the rood screen and old altar rail, oak pulpit and carved seats were removed. In 1846 two west galleries were removed and a single gallery was erected to house the organ. G E Street redesigned the east end of the church in 1882. He also removed the organ gallery and re-sited the organ in the east bay of the north aisle. The reredos and oak panelling were inserted in the chancel in 1900 and in 1956 a Lady Chapel was added. A modern extension by Philip G Harrison took place in 1982.
The town was a prosperous welsh flannel weaving town until superseded by Newtown and then the West Yorkshire Area. It was also the scene of a Chartist Riot quelled by troops deployed from Brecon.
Cadw Listings Notice
Buildings of Wales – Powys 2013
CPAT Montgomeryshire Churches Survey
The Towns of Wales Harold Carter
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
There is a low and rather squat western tower commonly found in the border area with a pyramidal roof over a stepped two-tier wooden-boarded belfry (the upper stage can be tree ring dated to 1594) with a weather vane above the tower. The new (1982) church hall adjoins the north wall of the tower. Additionally, there is a nave, chancel and a shorter north aisle with a south porch. It is all built from local brown and grey sedimentary stone possibly a siltstone or mudstone with are random pieces of red sandstone, pebbles and quartz all irregularly coursed. Some of the stones are exceptionally long being up to 2.1m (7ft). The roof is slated with red toothed, ceramic ridge tiles and cross finails at the east end of the church and over the porch. The church hall is in red brick. The chancel has yellow sandstone quoins in the north-east and south-east corners which form part of the Street’s restoration.
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 has a slab floor with borders of red and black tiles with a roof of seven having close-set, arch-braced collar trusses. The main church doorway is of three orders with jambs and filleted shafts, the outer two with Corinthian capital sin an Early English style (probably C13) and reputedly from Cwmhir Abbey. The walls of the nave are rendered but not painted. The south wall contained the arcade taken from Cwmhir. It was set from the east so the fifth (westernmost) arch is narrower than the original in order to fit the space before the tower. It was part of a fourteen-bay aisled nave with Grinshill stone piers are formed in groups of eight each of three shafts. The stiff-leaf carvings of the round capitals – one to each triplet of shafts – are examples of the development of this quintessentially Early English decoration and is akin to the West County School of masons.
The hammerbeam roof of the nave (said to come from Cwmhir Abbey) is divided into 19 bays and extends into the chancel. Each of the hammerbeams has a carved spandrel piece mounted on stone corbels four of which at the west end are carved with foliage, while each bracket is carved with grotesque heads and figures such as an archer drawing his bow and a bird of prey. Carved, gilded angels are attached to the hammerbeams. The angels are an addition to the roof and hold shields of various shapes and were probably added with the roof was inserted into the church.
There is a step up into the chancel and four steps into the sanctuary which is covered with encaustic tiles.
The Perpendicular font is octagonal with circled quatrefoil sides and panelled underfaces. The reredos was designed by Street’s son A E Street (the listing notice states that it was Clayton and Bell). The pulpit is of 1877 with blind cusping. In the Lady Chapel is a screen designed by Bernard Millar.
The stained glass: by Bill Bleasdale in 2000 ‘The Millennium Window’ – a colourful window of radiating patterns containing flora and fauna, ‘I am the true vine’ by Clayton & Bell 1939, ‘Christ in majesty with Apostles and Saints and scenes from the death and resurrection of Christ ‘1889 Clayton & Bell (?), Two windows by Geoffry Webb 1932 ‘ St David, St Idloes & St Deniol’ and ‘St Michael overcoming the Dragon’, two windows by Lawers, Barraud and Westlake of 1891 ‘St Peter, St James the Great and St James’ and Moses Jeremiah and King David’.
There are eight bells, six cast in 1824 by Thomas II Mears and two cast in 1969 by Whitechapel.
Stained Glass in Wales
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.