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.
In the village of Llangennith which is about 24 km due west of Swansea and on the north west corner of the Gower peninsula. The church forms a group of listed building on the south east of the village centre: stone churchyard wall; with a war memorial NE of churchyard formed as a white marble Celtic cross with interlacing on face. There is an early C20 timber-framed lychgate to north. To the south is the site of the ancient College of Llangennith.
The name/dedication of the church to which the plan refers.
A brief description of the plan. eg. who created it and where it came from.
The date the plan was created.
The details of any copyright are displayed here.
The name of the person who inputted the plan.
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.
A C12 church dedicated to St Cenydd, reputedly at his burial place. St Cenydd founded a cell on the nearby island of Burry Holmes. The circular form of the churchyard implies a church site of very early origins. An early church here is thought to have been destroyed by Danes in AD986. A monumental stone with Celtic interlace pattern found in the chancel is now displayed in an alcove on the southside of the chancel arch ( a medieval niche discovered in 2008)- it is carved from Pennant sandstone from the other sie of the Lougher estuary, probably dating from C9 it may have marked St Cenydd's tomb or his shrine... Early in the C12 Llangennith church together with some land was granted by Henry de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick, to the Benedictine abbey of St Taurin, Evreux, France, as part of the process of establishing a cell of the abbey at Llangennith. This part of the village is known as 'Priorstown'. The abbey probably also rebuilt the church. The church and the cell, since called a college, were distinct, there being both a Prior and an Incumbent. The college was suppressed in 1414. The church was later granted to All Souls College, Oxford, under whom it remained until bought by Major Penrice in 1838. His nephew donated it to the parish in 1883. The north tower was added to the C12 church. The tower incorporates a round-headed archway facing east, the purpose of which is obscure, but it has original C13 pointed lancet windows and opens to the nave by a pointed doorway. The chancel east window is C14 Decorated. The chancel arch is pointed and has deep chamfers below the imposts, but may be a C19 rebuild of the original arch. The main restoration of the church was to the design of John B Fowler in 1881-4, the contractors being Messrs Rosser of Reynoldston. During this rebuilding the floor level was raised 1.2m (4 feet) thus partically obscuring the two south doorways of the nave. The tower was repaired, monuments were repositioned, new windows inserted and the roofs rebuilt.
The church forms part of a group: the church, the fomer college now largely a listed barn, the lychgate and across the road from the lychgate a Holy Well.
The well has a capstone which is early Christian - not later than C8 It now has two stone piers with a lintel, constructed about 1880 in response to an outbreak of typhoid. Currently the water issues from two points.
The church is built from local reddish or grey axe-dressed or rubble old red sandstone conglomerates, millstone grits and carboniferous limestones (Dundry stone) and later examples of Bathstone used for windows. The conglomerates are probably from the outcrop on Llanmadoc hill while the grit stones are probably from the drift deposit with traces of old render or whitewash on north side of nave and chancel. Slate roof. The tower has three storeys with a slated saddleback roof. The coping stones of the churchyard wall are of white Cornish Granite.
The church is reputed to be the burial place of Iestyn ap Gwrant the last Welsh ruler of Morgannwg, said to have become religious at Llangennith after being deposed by the Norman, Robert Fitzhamon in 1090.
A short stroll to the south of the church is the ruined medieval village of Coety Green.
References
Cadw Listing Notices
Buildings of Wales - Glamorgan
Quinquennial Inspection Reports
Welsh Stone forum Number 4
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
Nave, chancel north porch and lreg fortified square tower built in the Early English style and set into the hillside Attached but separately owned are farm buildings listed grade II known as Parsons Barns.
Reference
Church Quinquennial Inspection Reports
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 pine roof with red and black quarry tiles on the floor, a doorway with single roll moulding and a semental rear arch houses an oak door which leads into the nave. It is a large nave with C19 pine roof in 8 bays featuring scissor bracing and collars. The floor is of black and red quarry tiles. The west bay of the nave is separated by an oak screen to form a vestry (constructed in 1924). Two steps lead into the chancel arch with a five-bayed roof. The paving is in red, cream and black encaustic tiles and made by Godwin of Luggwardine.
There is a pine altar with floral piercings seperated from the chancel by gateless altar rails of pine on braced standards. In the nave are a pine pulpit and a pine lectern. The Bathstone square font, is scalloped beneath standing on a hollow moulding at its foot, mediaeval stencilling has been recorded on it.
There are four bells, one cast by Thomas Purdue in 1675; one cast by D & T Davies in 1722; and two cast by William Evans in 1758.
Near the north door lies the recumbent effigy of a knight of the de la Mare family, known locally as the 'Dolly Mare'
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.