13160

 

II*  

Designated  

22/02/1963  

21/07/2003  

Church of St Cattwg  

 

Vale of Glamorgan  

Llan-Maes  

Barry  

Llanmaes  

298074  

169486  

 

In the centre of Llanmaes village.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

C13 origin, first mentioned in 1254, but the body of the church is largely a Victorian restoration, the south wall of the nave seems to be the earliest surviving part. The tower was built in 1632 (plaque). The church was restored in the C19, but the only definite record is for the insertion of the north nave window by John Prichard in 1882, and then underwent some further repair in 1930. The Rev. Illtyd Nicholl was Rector from 1699-1733 and was also responsible for most of the building work at The Old Rectory (qv).  

Built of local limestone rubble with Sutton stone and sandstone dressings and Welsh slate roofs. Nave with south porch, unbuttressed west tower, chancel with small north vestry. The nave has the gabled porch in the centre of the south wall. The porch is apparently Victorian and has a pointed archway with dripmould with square stops, coping and cross to gable. On either side of the porch is a 3-light square-headed mid C16 type window with 4-centred lights and dripmould over. The north wall has a 2-light lancet type window inserted by Prichard in 1882 and a wall projection for the rood-loft stair. Coped east gable with apex cross. The chancel has three single lancets to the south wall, a 3-light Decorated east window with cusped heads and sexfoil over, coped gable with apex cross above. The north wall is wholly covered by a lean-to vestry with a 2-light window and a Caernarvon arched doorway, both dressed in Bath stone. The tower, which has a considerably batter to its lower half, has four stages, with a depressed arch headed doorway with a 2-light window above it on the west wall. The north and south walls have a small rectangular window to each stage and the south wall has, in addition, a small stair window. Louvred 2-light bell-chamber openings to each face, embattled parapet on corbels.  

Entrance and tower arches with hollow chamfer and possibly C13. All furnishings are Victorian except for the communion rail of 1934, a very fine C12 Norman font and the C15 upper parts of the chancel screen. This last is an important survival as the probable remains of the rood screen. There is an interesting medieval mural on the north wall, possibly of St. George, but this is now very faded. Good memorials, including an excellent marble monument to Dr. William Towgood by the font. The nave roof is of uncertain date but appears older than Victorian. It is a six-bay arch-braced collar beam type. The chancel roof is Victorian and is a smaller scale 3-bay one. There are said to be three bells, one of the C14 and the others dated 1637 (shortly after the tower was built) and 1777.  

Included at a higher grade as a medieval church which, despite much rebuilding, has retained its character.