Church Heritage Cymru 3264

Set with an imposing view down the High Street the church has some uncommonly high C13 work which resulted from the need to rebuild after Llywelyn the Great sacked the town in the 1240s.  The church (particularly the nave) itself dates from the late C12/early C13.  Much repaired and altered during the middle ages the organ by Harris and Byfield was installed in a west gallery in 1737 and the roofs were repaired in 1745. Following the French invasion of Fishguard the French prisoners were installed in the church and caused damage to the interior.  The tower and lead clad timber spire were removed in 1802 as lady Kensington feared that it would fall on her house.  A series of repairs took place throughout the C19: 1844 by Thomas Rowlands with Joseph Jenkins as contractor, repairs to the windows west gallery and new pews; 1859 – 1863 by W H Lindsey (died 1863) and then C E Giles, both proposed major changes for which the finance was unavailable, the old council chamber above the porch was removed and a new porch built;1882-9, by Ewan Christopher restored the church at a cost of £5000 providing a repaired clerestory and north aisle -1884-6,chancel 1887-9 when the organ was repositioned.  W D Caröe worked between 1903 and 1933 repairing the nave roof, nave arcade, chancel arch, reopening of two blocked windows, new pews and pulpit these works between 1904 and 1905 cost £6000 at which point works stopped due to lack of further funds; west window in 1920, tower bell-frame and bells 1923, screen 1925, south clerestory windows 1933.

Reference
Buildings of Wales –Pembrokeshire 2004
Cadw Listings Notice
Welsh Stone Forum Newsletter 15

The church has a nave with a north aisle, a chancel with a north aisle, porches and a northwest tower.  It was built mostly with rubble stone Coal Measures sandstones and Carboniferous Limestone with early dressings of Dundry stone (a Jurassic limestone found south of Bristol), with low pitched roofs behind an embattled parapet.  The tower is plain with a corbelled flat parapet and a recessed pyramidal roof and C19 clock face.

Reference
Buildings of Wales –Pembrokeshire 2004
Cadw Listings Notice
Welsh Stone Forum Newsletter 15

The inner north porch in Early English style sets the scene for the quality of the interior.  The black and white floor tiles extend into the nave and across the north aisle.  The nave and aisle is of four bays with the enclose tower base in the northwest corner. Dating from C19 repairs the floor levels were rearranged which has resulted in a flight of seven steps at the west end.  The walls are plastered with exposed stone dressings to the windows while above is a fine C15 panelled timber roof of six bays. It has moulded cambered beams, moulded low-pitched rafters and a moulded ridge, the beams are support on long quadrant brackets with carved spandrels standing on stone corbels.  Each panel is divided into four with moulded ribs and applied leaves carved bosses at the intersections. Above each clerestory windows there are carved wooden angels, mid-way on the wall plates over the stone carved heads.  The carving appears to be from the ‘West Country School’ and the chief source of inspiration would have been Wells cathedral.  Elsewhere in the nave and aisle there are finely caved details with stiff leaves and tiny carved figures.  There is a mask with its tongue out, a leering beast and intertwined beasts with a single head, a pig with a fiddle, and ape and a harp, a man with tooth ache, and a winged beast with a foliage ending to its tail, a lamb biting a snake’s head.  The chancel arch is wide with piers shafted with fillet and the capitals have stiff leaves with masks facing inward.  There is an oak tower screen glazed above the work of Caröe and dating from 1925..  The lean-to aisle has a roof of eight and a half bays, it has a low pitch with six panels to each bay, heavily moulded beams and carved bosses and angel supporters.  The wall posts with long arched braces spring from fine carved stone corbels.  The arcade with plain detached shafts to the central pier, the carved capitals have stiff leaf carvings and the central pier has a face mask at each corner.  The encaustic tiled floor dates from 1887-9.  The fittings include an octagonal C19 font on a base of four marble shafted columns around a central shaft, the oak font cover dates from 1935.  Dating from 1905 the large octagonal pulpit is framed with blind traceried panel and crocketed angle shafts, it was designed Caröe.  The brass eagle lectern from 1989 is the work of Harman of Birmingham.  The reredos is by Caröe, it was made from oak and has a broad centre and narrow side panels.  The altar rails are also by Caröe.  The Mayor’s pew from c1500 has a poppy-head bench end and two stalls.  There is a C15 carved figure with a lion in a rose tail.  The organ of 1737 was by Harris & Byfield and was enlarged in 1861-2 by Banfield and rebuilt on its present site in 1897-9 by William Hill while retaining its previous case but with a new pipe front to the chancel.  In 1983-4 it was renovated by Daniel of Clevedon.  The stained glass: ‘Scenes from the Life of Christ’, C E Kempe, 1893; ‘St Luke and St Paul’, 1843; ‘The Annunciation’ Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd, 1955; ‘The Risen Christ Appearing to St Mary Magdalene’, C E Kempe,1910; ‘Miracles of healing’, William Wailes, 1864; ‘Crucifixion with Soldiers and Evangelists’, C E Kempe & Co Ltd, 1913; ‘St David with St Cadog and St Bride’, C E Kempe & Co Ltd, 1917; ‘Four Evangelists’, second quart of C19; ‘Saints and Angels’, C E Kempe & Co Ltd, 1919; ‘The Four Evangelists’ C E Kempe & Co Ltd, 1920; ‘St David Instructing a Child’, Celtic Studios, 1965.  The bells: Six bells by T Bayley cast in 1765, two bells by Mears & Stainbank cast in 1923, two service bells, one by R Purdue of 1681 and one by Mears and Stainbank of 1923.
Reference
Buildings of Wales –Pembrokeshire 2004
Cadw Listings Notice
A National Bell Register - George Dawson's Website - Homestead
Stained Glass in Wales
Welsh Stone Forum National Museum of Wales 15