21499

 

II*  

Designated  

17/03/1999  

17/03/1999  

Church of Our Lady of Peace and attached Presbytery  

 

Caerphilly  

Newbridge  

 

Treowen  

321067  

197620  

E  

On the N edge of Newbridge, near the border with the Crumlin Community, on the W hillside of and overlooking the Ebbw Valley. Set on a walled terrace with gate piers and terraced steps, incorporating a small shrine.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Built late 1930s by P D Hepworth, an architect educated in Paris and Rome who worked in S Wales in 1930s (eg St David's RC, Maesglas, Newport].  

The complex consists of a tall basilica style church aligned roughly N/S, the chancel facing S, with attached campanile style bell tower; attached at front is a small single storey wing housing the sacristy which in turn is attached to the Presbytery or Priest's House. Built of brick, rendered and painted, with grey pantile roof with overhanging eaves. The 5-storey bell tower at SW has narrow dividing string courses, small staircase lights and a bell chamber with 4 round-arched openings with moulded surrounds giving views of the bells, each with a small wrought iron balcony with brackets; conical roof with metal cross. The lancet windows have deeply splayed sills and the roundels moulded surrounds. The church has 5 long narrow lights at clerestory level to nave; on E side the bays are separated at lower level by triangular buttresses, on W side the pitched roof aisle has roundel windows separated by pilasters. Roundels at clerestory level to chancel with lancets below and a large cross in the blank gable end. At N side, a small single storey 5 sided baptistry with small round-headed lights; above is a large round window with stepped surround and iron PX motif in apex. Attached to S is the single storey sacristy range with hipped roofs, round arched and roundel windows and separate round arched entrance. The attached presbytery in the same materials with grey brick stacks has a 4-window range of horned sashes with shutters and a central gabled porch; set on the hillside, the rear has an extra basement storey.  

Interior is striking for its simplicity, rendered and mostly white painted, with colour to the roof panels. The unusual plan has an arcade and passage leading into the church from the side (W). The main body of the church is divided by a tall plain chancel arch. The nave is lit to side by plain tall round headed windows, to rear by a high roundel with similar roundels high on each side of the chancel; no window over the altar, but a crucifix set within a tall blind arch. The rear narthex and baptistry with small windows is divided off by a metal screen. Roof of 6 bays with trusses comprising a tie beam supported by brackets with centre post; all the members and the ceiling panels painted with stencil decoration; each bay has a pair of low hanging painted wrought iron light fittings. Floor of nave is wood, slate paving in sanctuary and baptistry. Sacristy has oak panelling.  

Listed II* as an early- mid C20 RC church of especially effective design and atmospheric interior in a commanding position.