2941

 

II*  

Designated  

01/03/1963  

01/02/1996  

Parish Church of St Bridget  

 

Newport  

Wentlooge  

 

St Brides  

329236  

182298  

 

Located on the W side of Church Road, opposite Church Farm, set down a small track.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Small two cell church mainly rebuilt in the C15 in Perpendicular style, when the three staged W tower, two bay N chapel and S porch were added.  

Parish church consisting of chancel, nave, N chapel, S porch and W tower. Constructed of various materials including random pink and white sandstone to the chancel and nave, coursed limestone to the tower with areas of pebble walling, particularly to the S side of the chancel. Chancel, nave, porch and chapel have gabled, slated roofs. Much of the C15 fenestration survives, with some C19 restoration. The E window is a cusped, three-light window with Perpendicular tracery to the head. Projecting hoodmould with simple stops. The S side of the chancel is lit by a C15 two-light window with hoodmould. To the left hand side is a small, four-centred, stone priests doorway with complexly moulded surround and voussoired arch over. The nave is lit on the S side by three, three-light windows with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmould, beneath a pink and white striped voussoired arch. The windows at the E and W end are C15, while the central window appears to have been substantially replaced. The S porch is C15, gabled, two storey, with a low, wide four centred doorway, with voussoired arch over. Above is a C14 cusped lancet (probably reset). Remains of a stone sundial to the ridge. The inner doorway is four-centred, the surround of which has a concave moulding enriched with carved stylised flowers. Deeply projecting hoodmould with head stops. Above the doorway is a pinnacled and crocketted canopied niche, now empty. To the right hand side of the doorway is an inscribed stone plaque commemorating The Great Flood of 1606 reading 'the Great Flood of 20 Januarie 10 in the morning 1606'. The W tower is tall, three staged, with diagonal buttresses. West country inspired Crenellated parapet in bathstone decorated with blind tracery with a figure of a saint (possibly one of the Apostles) set within the central crenellation on each face. To the S side of the tower is a niche, with a pinnacled and crocketted canopy with a carved figure.The lower opening is a cusped window, now missing its louvre. To each face is a two-light louvred, belfry window with blind tracery. To the NE corner is an octagonal stair turret which rises above the parapet with blind tracery and a moulded capping. Six stairlights to the N face. The N side of the nave is lit by a single, C15 three-light window to E end. W end has scarring to the masonry and evidence of a former blocked, square-headed opening with timber lintol. The N chapel is lit on the N and E faces with matching C19 windows in Perpendicular style. Small, square-headed doorway to the W elevation with evidence of a larger opening above, now blocked. To the S of the church are the remains of the base of a medieval cross, set upon a large square rubble plinth.  

The tall, two order Perpendicular chancel arch, has narrow shafts with capitals, bell-bases and concave inner moulding. The chancel, nave and N chapel wagon roof is C15 with moulded principals and purlins and evidence of bosses now lost. The chancel roof is supported on a series of five, carved stone corbel heads, to each side (two have been replaced with simple blocks). The N arcade is made up of two bays, now blocked. The quatrefoil piers are composed of alternating shafts and concave sections decorated with a foliate crockett to the jamb. The central and E pier have this detail repeated immediately above the impost. The capitals are decorated with repeating stylised flowers with a variety of zig-zag decoration. The flowers on the W pier are stood on end, while the flowers to the central and E pier are set square. The wagon roof to the N chapel is largely plastered over. On the N side of the arcade there are traces of surviving medieval red ochre paint. Small, C15, polygonal font on Gothic traceried pedestal to the NW corner of the nave. Unfurnished and undergoing restoration at the time of resurvey (November 1995).  

Listed grade II* as a very good regional example of a medieval parish church with much surviving original fabric and particularly noteworthy for the rare surviving Pre-Reformation statuary upon the W tower.