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.
Mathern is 4km south west of Chepstow, the church is south of the M48 close to Mathern Palace.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 162 Cadw Listing Notice 2040
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 history of this building is extremely complex. The site and dedication are Celtic, but nothing pre-Norman is now visible and the present church seems to begin in the Early English period of the C13. The different alignment of the nave and chancel may suggest that the church began as a single cell building in the position of the chancel. This could have been the Celtic church which might then have had a Norman nave added to it in the C12, and then had the older church demolished and replaced by an Early English chancel in the C13. The nave was then largely rebuilt in the late medieval period, probably by John Marshall (Bishop of Landaff 1478-96), and part of the church sympathetically restored by John Prichard in 1882, contractor William White of Abergavenny, at a cost of #2,500. Chancel restored separately, probably by Ewan Christian, architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The most obvious result of this work is the rebuilding of part of the wall of the south aisle, while the church was also re-roofed and re-furnished. The earliest surviving features are the arcades of the nave, the chancel arch, the triple lancet at the east end and the lancet window in the north wall of the chancel, all these seem to be of Early English form. Most of the rest of the work is of a Perpendicular character.
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The church is built mainly in a combination of local hard fine-grained limestone and coarse sandstone of the Tintern group, these are not always easily distinguishable from the coarse sandy limestones used for the architectural details. The church consists of nave, without clerestory, offline chancel, north and south aisles, west tower, south porch and an organ chamber added to the south side of the chancel. The nave, without clerestory, has coped gables, plain where it butts against the tower and with an apex cross at the east end. The south aisle and porch were built together, as the base plinth shows, with the wave mould going round both. The upper part of the aisle wall was rebuilt in 1882 as the different character of the stonework shows, and the windows date from then, but the sympathetic nature of the restoration suggests that the windows are reproductions of the existing ones. The aisle has four bays with diagonal corner buttresses. There is a tall 3-light Perpendicular window in the west gable and another in the east gable. The south wall has three lower 3-light windows, again with the same tracery. The porch is in the second bay from the left and has diagonal corner buttresses and a pointed archway, the mouldings of which are reproduced on the inner doorway; the door is a Victorian double plank one with good ironwork. The porch has a coped gable with apex cross. The chancel is medieval, but has had a lot of Victorian refacing done sympathetically, the organ chamber is wholly of 1882; this projects in front of the east gable window of the south aisle. The organ chamber has a coped gable and a lancet window with dripmould. The chancel has a plinth and stringcourse, but the organ chamber does not. The south wall has another 3-light Perpendicular window as before, and an Early English lancet which was reopened in 1882, and a 2-light Perpendicular one. The north aisle is wholly Perpendicular in character, although the windows can be seen to have been inserted into the existing walling. Plinth with wave moulded string, stepped buttresses, paired between the bays, diagonal at the corners. Continuous dripmould which is covered by the buttresses. Three bays, all five windows (1 + 3 + 1) are 3-light ones as on the south aisle. Coped gables with apex crosses. The tall west tower is in ashlar and has three stages, with an octagonal stair turret on the north east corner. The moulded plinth is continuous from both aisles and round the tower. Diagonal corner buttresses stepped all the way up the tower; they cover the first string course, but go under the other two. Pointed arch west door similar to the south porch; 3-light Perpendicular window above, this has a similar character to the aisle ones, but it was inserted in an enlarged opening before 1909. The second stage has a single light opening to the ringing chamber on three sides. These have moulded architraves and pierced stone windows. The bell stage has a 2-light recessed opening on each face, also with pierced stone windows. Battlemented parapet with buttresses carried up into small finials. The churchyard contains a number of C18 and C19 memorials of which the most notable is the railed enclosure on the north side of the chancel. There is also the fragment of what may have been the medieval priest's house about 50m north of the chancel.
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 church interior is plastered and painted. The nave arcades are Early English with four colonnettes about a central shaft carrying pointed chamfered arches. Each arcade is four bays but the western bay of the north arcade has a very different form and a plain square pier; this may suggest a rebuilding after the previous tower was removed in 1483. The chancel arch is Early English and has the same profile as the nave arcades, the tower arch is of 1483. The rere-arches of all the windows can be seen to be medieval except for the three eastern ones of the south aisle which show the Victorian rebuilding noticed outside, although they do appear to re-use some of the stonework. There is a squint and a door to the rood stair at the east end of the south aisle. The roof of the nave has close-set arch braced collar beam trusses which appear to be C15, the ceiling was removed in 1882 and the boarding is Victorian. The aisle roofs are Victorian ribbed waggon vaults in the Perpendicular manner. The chancel roof is Victorian with close coupled rafters. The pulpit and most of the furnishings are Victorian, the organ is of 1883. The medieval font was found under the floor of the porch in 1943 and reinstated, it had been buried in 1882. It has an octagonal bowl as does the larger and more eleborately Perpendicular Victorian one. The west window of the south aisle has fragments of medieval glass. There are six bells, all dated 1765, these were restored in 1970. The elaborate towered reredos, the east window glass and probably the choir stalls date from 1914. These were the gift of the Rev Watkin Davies (Vicar 1879-1923) who appears as donor in the east window. The south aisle reredos is a WW1 memorial of 1921 designed by W D Caroe.
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.