Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
12537
Building Number
Grade
I
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
01/03/1963
Date of Amendment
28/07/1992
Name of Property
Cathedral of St Davids
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Pembrokeshire
Community
St. David's
Town
Locality
St.Davids
Easting
175156
Northing
225430
Street Side
Location
Situated in the sheltered valley of the River Alun, below the city.
Description
Broad Class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Period
History
C12 to C16, restored principally by Sir G G Scott 1862-78, J O Scott and W D Caroe. The present building is substantially of 1180-1220, built by Bishop Peter de Leia, his work comprising the nave with its arcades, triforium and clerestory, aisles, west tower arch and transept walls, eastern tower piers, choir aisles and E responds of choir. The W front is a restoration by Sir G G Scott to recreate the Norman original following the unscholarly rebuilding of 1793 by J Nash. Round arches generally, with chevron and other ornament and single keel mouldings to shafts and jambs. One of the earliest British examples of combined triforium and clerestory.
The fall of the central tower in 1220 demolished the choir and transepts, but these were rebuilt to very similar design by 1250. Pointed arches on three sides of the crossing are post 1220 as are arcades of presbytery to E. E lancets of presbytery repaired after earthquake damage 1248. Choir aisles extended E with cross-passage enclosing courtyard in late C13, the courtyard roofed 1509-22 to form Holy Trinity or Bishop Vaughan's Chapel, with fan-vaulted roof. Lady Chapel added ca1300. C14 work includes alterations to nave aisles; chapel of St Thomas of Canterbury added to N transept with former chapter house above; second stage of tower; Bishop Gower's rood screen and S porch. Influence of the Bristol School evident in C14 work. C16 top stage to tower, Lady Chapel vault (collapsed 1775, rebuilt early C20), early C16 fine timber nave roof. Late C15 to early C16 choir stalls, sanctuary sedilia and sanctuary encaustic tiles.
Exterior
Interior
Outstanding monuments include: in the nave, Bishop Morgan (d1506) and Bishop Gower (d1347); in the S transept C10 or C11 Celtic carved fragments; in the presbytery Edmund Tudor (d1456), altar tomb provided by Henry VIII; and in choir aisles various C13 effigies, one reputedly of Gerald of Wales.
Notable post-medieval works are the painted roofs to crossing and presbytery by Sir G G Scott; the Salviati mosaics and Hardman glass to the lower and upper lancets of the E end; the Lady Chapel vault by W D Caroe, 1897-1903; and W window stained glass of ca1920.
Reason for designation
Listed grade I as the principal cathedral of Wales and the most important medieval ecclesiastical building in Wales, on the site of the monastery founded by Saint David ca520.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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