11888

 

II*  

Designated  

30/11/1964  

12/03/1992  

Parish Church of St. Ellyw  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Llanelli  

 

 

250699  

200539  

 

Prominently situated in churchyard on north side of Bridge Street.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Medieval (possibly C15) west tower, the rest of 1905-06 by G F Bodley of London (1827-1907). West tower, nave, porch, transepts, chancel, north east chapel and south east organ chamber/vestry.  

Tower is plain battered rubble stone with most features renewed in red sandstone in 1905-06 when parapet was also rebuilt. Corbelled embattled parapet, small 2-light louvred bell-openings with flat hoodmould, clock face on south side at mid-height, and west front C1905. Three-light flat-headed window with ogee tracery, hoodmould and flanking statue niches over pointed west doorway. Fine carved detail to statue niches. North side embattled square stair tower. Rock-faced snecked rubble stone with red sandstone dressings, green slate roofs, terracotta ridge tiles and stone coped gables. Early Perp. Gothic style of C1400. Over crossing is ornate panelled stone turret, embattled with short recessed spire. Three-window nave of pointed traceried 3-light windows with hoodmoulds and buttresses between. Transepts have big 4-light end windows, angle buttresses and shouldered gables. Two-light west facing windows. Chancel has big 5-light east window, angle buttresses, lean-to south side vestry with east door and gabled north east chapel with 3-light east windows and two 2-light north windows. Octagonal chimney stack between chapel and chancel roofs. Nave has big south porch with finely carved pointed doorway, hoodmould and statue nich above. Six steps up with ramped low stone wall each side.  

Rock-faced grey stone with Bath stone dressings and timber roofs. Window rear arches are carried down to ground, crossing has moulded arches carried on short corbelled wall-shafts except the larger chancel arch which is fully shafted. Ribbed wagon roofs to nave and transepts, timber vault to crossing with 5 carved bosses and carved angel angle corbels. Chancel has panelled wagon roof, more elaborate over sanctuary with carved bosses. Chancel has fine black and white marble pavement, 2 steps up to chancel and 5 to sanctuary. Tall arch each side with hoodmoulds. East end has window tracery set back in big shafted pointed arch, the lower part of the opening filled by an extremely elaborate carved stone reredos of the Last Supper in richly traceried frame. South wall traceried piscina and 2-seat sedilia. Fittings: The church has exceptional C18 monuments to members of the Stepney family and early C20 stained glass by Burne-Jones. Timber screens to tower arch and north east chapel, timber pulpit and eagle lectern. Medieval plain octagonal font on diagonally set square shaft with cusped junctions between the square and octagon and half-round faces to square base. Two outstanding stained glass windows to designs by Sir E Burne-Jones: 5-light east window of 1911 and 4-light south windows of C1911, both made by Morris and Co. Notable wall monuments include an exceptionally fine series from late C17 to mid C18 characterised by Baroque to Palladian columned and pedimented surrounds beginning with the Baroque monuments to Walter Vaughan (d 1683) and to MaryáVaughan (d 1703) in the nave. Another early monument with carved skull to H Jones (d 1699) in north east chapel. The C18 series includes in the nave that to JohnáVaughan Stepney (d 1732) to Eleanor Stepney (d 1733) signed William Palmer (1673-1739), and in north east chapel that to Lady Margaret Stepney (d 1733) also by Palmer. In north transept is fine classical monument to Sir Thomas Stepney (d 1751) signed Palmer, probably Benjamin Palmer. The C19 series includes, at west end, an unusual neo-Grec monument with relief urns to Mary Stepney (d 1816); in north transept monument to E Mansel (d 1809) signed Tyley of Bristol and to EmmaáChambers (d 1838) by Orton Rossi (1812-1851) and in chancel fine low relief bronze to Lt Col J C Cowell (d 1854) by Baron Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867), a copy of the marble original in St Paul's Cathedral. Two well lettered plaques of 1907 and 1908 to Bythway family and in nave 2 C18 style monuments, to match Stepney series to Sir Stafford Howard (d 1916) and Margaret Cowell Stepney (d 1921). Over tower arch painted canvas Hanoverian royal arms.  

Of exceptional interest on account of interior with fittings and notable monuments.