6665

 

II*  

Designated  

19/07/1963  

27/07/2000  

Parish Church of St. Elli  

 

Monmouthshire  

Llanelly  

 

Llanelly  

323222  

214848  

 

Prominent location on sloping ground: spire visible from afar. Church is set in large churchyard, surrounded on all sides by minor roads. Two further large churchyards to the S.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Nave is probably C13 or C14 with west tower and chancel added probably in the C14. Full-length north aisle and south porch added in late C15, when church was probably reroofed and rewindowed. Restored 1867-68 by Joseph Nevill of Abergavenny, architect, including the provision of several new windows. Slated broach spire added 1897 by Baldwin of Brecon, who also added the unusual half-timbered gable to the SW stair turret. Extensive restorations 1910-1911 by J. Vaughan Richards of Crickhowell, who reroofed nave and chancel, built and new chancel arch, and added new choirstalls. It is likely that he also completely rebuilt the arcades in nave and chancel.  

Red rubble sandstone construction. Slate roofs. Coped gables to E end and aisle with trefoiled kneelers; also to porch. Plan consists of nave with west tower, chancel, north aisle, and south porch. Broad and low tower with rectangular projecting stair turret to the SW, topped by half-timbered gable of 1910-11. Low-set stringcourse. Paired pointed belfry windows of red sandstone; pointed S door with stone voussoirs and boarded door. W window of tower is probably C16, straight-headed with two chamfered round-arched lights. Tall slated broach spire with timber louvres at approximately two-thirds the height. S side of nave has 1868 two-light straight-headed window each side of porch; cinquefoiled lights. Gabled porch with chamfered doorway; broach stops. Chancel S window of three lights, similar to nave S: to right is blocked pointed priest’s door. Aisle has 1868 three-light Perp window to W. N side has central Bathstone three-light window with straight head; of 1868. Each side of the latter is late C15 window with straight head, each with two cinquefoiled lights. C20 flat-roofed boilerhouse to left. East end has joint between chancel and later aisle: both windows are late C19 Perp of three lights. Several later C19 monuments in the churchyard have stone slabs raised on iron colonnettes, the latter probably made at the nearby Clydach Ironworks.  

Porch has stone benches each side. Plaster barrel ceilings with timber ribs: the nave and chancel roofs are replacements of 1910-11, but the aisle roof is C15 with moulded ribs, on deep moulded wall-plates. Arcades of three bays in the nave, and two bays in the chancel, the arches chamfered right to ground level: the chancel arcade appears to contain some older masonry, that in the nave almost certainly of 1910-11. Chamfered chancel arch of similar date, the chamfer dying into the jambs. Plain pointed tower arch. Stone-flagged floors. Double-arched piscina, of 1910-11. 1910-11 choirstalls. C20 Jacobean style communion rail with shaped balusters. Fine altar table, probably early C17, with gadrooned legs and marquetry frieze; said to be ex-situ. W end of aisle partitioned in C20 for vestry. Font with rough rounded bowl, probably C12. Stained glass: E window dated 1901, but inserted in 1909 by James Powell of Whitefriars; Good Shepherd, with local landmarks including the Sugar Loaf, and the Blorenge. Aisle E of 1968 by Celtic Studios; St. Elli. Several monuments, including two slabs in the sanctuary with figures in relief, one dated 163.., the other 1646. Various C18 slabs, including large wall-slab to John Evans of Danygraig +1747, with fine relief marginal carving. Edward (+1713) and Hannah (+1711) Lewis of Aberclydach, finely-lettered small brass in remarkable crudely carved stone frame having large winged cherub head below, and terminating baying hound’s head each side above. Evan Evans +1732. Finely shaped tablet. Hannah Lawrence +1838. Sarcophagus type, signed by Thomas of Brecon. Catherine Williams of Great Triley +1844. Highly carved Gothic tablet with brattishing and polygonal shafts, by J. Thomas of Newport. John Maund +1850. Very large Gothic wall-monument prominently signed by W. Meredith Thomas of London. Ringed shafts, heavy brattishing, inscription within cusped arch. William Williams +1860. White marble, with fluted 3/4 columns; by Tyley of Bristol. John Powell +1865, proprietor of Clydach Ironworks: wide cusped white marble tablet , also by Tyley.  

Listed as a large medieval parish church with fine W tower. Well-restored 1910-11, retaining late medieval windows and roof in aisle. Several monuments of unusually high quality.