9815

 

II*  

Designated  

03/06/1964  

30/04/1996  

Church of St. Ffraed  

 

Ceredigion  

Llansantffraed  

 

Llansantffraed  

251246  

267491  

 

Situated at the end of Stryd-y-Eglwys from Llanon, some 350m E of the coast at Llansantffraed and 50m N of the Afon Peris.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Anglican parish church with medieval battlemented W tower, the rest rebuilt 1839-40. Roger de Clare, Earl of Hertford, either gave or ratified an earlier grant of the church of Llansantffraed and a large amount of land to the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem when he occupied Ceredigion between 1158 and 1164. The tower of the current church is probably C14 and the rest was rebuilt in 1839-41 by David Francis of Llanon. A gallery was erected in 1865 paid for by the Morgan family of Alltlwyd.  

Rubblestone with some slate-hanging. Imposing C14 W tower with high battered base and NE stair tower. Small sandstone cusped lights, mostly single, except 2-light E bell-opening. W door recessed in base with eroded sandstone frame and stone voussoirs. Corbelled embattled parapet. 1840 church has 3-bay single-roofed nave and chancel with coped gables, 3 long Tudor-arched 2-light Perp. style windows to each side with raised pilaster piers between and at outer angles. Coped shouldered gables and E similar 3-light window. S side has been slate-hung subsequently. Window tracery is unusually good for the period in this area. Three of the oldest gravestones are affixed to the exterior walls. These monuments are to Alban Thomas (d1741) and Lewis Davies (d1747) on the S wall and to Mary Evans (d1770) on the E wall.  

Single chamber interior with W gallery, flat plastered ceiling with moulded cornice and 2 roses. Gallery has timber front panelled in 2 long panels, and supported on 4 fluted iron columns. Two stained glass windows , the central S window (1973) of St Non, St David and St Ffraed and the E window (1975) of the risen Christ, both by Celtic Studios. Raked pews and C20 organ in gallery. Grained box to body of church, 1929-30 Gothic wood pulpit and chancel fittings. Two Victorian hanging brass coronae. C12 or C13 pale stone font with incised band of rosettes around a rectangular bowl, the sides below trapezoid and the angles chamfered. Circular stem, square base. Font is similar to those at Henfynyw and Betws Bledrws. NE stair to tower and cambered-arched entry to gallery through 2 panelled doors. Medieval bell frame in tower designed to hold 3 bells. Victorian bell frame has been superimposed on it.  

Included at II* as a church with fine medieval tower and unusual internal design c1840 in the preaching house tradition.