8235

 

II*  

Designated  

24/10/1950  

12/08/2024  

Parish Church of St Idloes  

 

Powys  

Llanidloes  

Llanidloes  

 

295382  

284681  

N  

At the NW edge of town. Churchyard to S and sharp slope down to River Severn below to N.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

C16 Gothic Church in Perpendicular style with earlier tower and incorporating early C13 material from Abbey Cwmhir, with C19 restorations. The church which gives Llanidloes its name is dedicated to the C7 Saint Idloes, who is also associated with a holy well (now lost but tentatively placed somewhere in the grounds of Llanidloes Town Football Club). Llanidloes Parish Church has possible early Christian origins as a daughter church to the clas at Llandinam (qv Church of St Llanio ref.7566). The late 1300s West Tower is the oldest part of Llanidloes church original to this location. The Cistercian Monastery at Abbey Cwmhir (qv refs.8717 and RD012) was established 10 miles southeast of Llanidloes in 1143 and initially patronised by both Welsh and Norman Lords, but was later seen as favouring the Welsh Princes over the King of England. In 1231 it was burnt down by Henry III’s forces, prompting an ambitious scheme to rebuild the abbey as the largest church in Wales with the patronage of Llywelyn Fawr. Work ceased after Llywelyn’s death and the abbey was never completed. By the time of the monastery was repressed by Henry VIII in 1537 it had only three monks. The Church of St Idloes was substantially rebuilt around 1542 to accommodate a 5-bay arcade removed from Abbey Cwmhir. A hammerbeam roof was added decorated with carved angels holding shields with instruments of the Passion. These images were associated with the old Catholicism which preceded the English Reformation and were becoming unpopular with church and state in 1542. This was the last roof of its kind built in Wales, and probably the last in Britain as this iconography was outlawed in the following years. Dendrochronology has shown that the trees in this roof were felled in 1539. The east window was transferred to the east wall of the north aisle added at this time. Later in the C16 the pyramidal belfry was added to the tower (dendro dated to 1593/1594). The church was partly restored in early 1700s and the south wall was rebuilt in 1816. A view of 1821 shows a raked gallery within the tower, since lost. The chancel was enlarged and the whole church restored in 1880-82 by G E Street. To the north of the arcade lies the aisle with memorials for both World Wars and a screen of 1956 by Bernard Miller to the Lady Chapel altar. Modern extension by P G Harrison (1982).  

The main body of the church is rectangular with five bays articulated by buttresses with tower to west end and sanctuary projection to east. North aisle of four bays adjoining modern extension at northwest corner. Rubble masonry with freestone dressings and voussoirs to windows. Slate roofs with tiled cresting, overhanging eaves and gable parapet and finial to east end - also to porch. The south side has Victorian stepped buttresses and gabled porch; 3-order arched doorway within, the jambs and filleted shafts of which were brought from Abbey Cwmhir. 2 windows to right in almost semi-circular headed openings with mouldings and - 3-light cusped tracery. The south wall steps back slightly at eastern end with two 3-light ogee tracery windows, the left hand of which is segmental headed. Dressed quoins to east end containing 5 light window with transom and double cusping; 2-light window to chancel north side. The square W tower, of typically Welsh border style, has stepped pyramidal roof with boarded belfry and louvred openings; similar openings under eaves to north and south. Weathervane to top; stringcourse, partly broken, and plinth over massive battered base; vice tower to northeast angle. The plinth steps up over Perp west entrance with low acutely pointed arch and double boarded doors - 2-light double cusped window over. N aisle has 3-light windows with plainer tracery, 3 are square headed. One doorway towards E end; octagonal; rubble chimney stack and steps to boiler room. 1982 square extension with pyramidal roof projects over steep slope to river to the north.  

The cement rendered interior is undivided from W to E and has spectacular, full length, 19-bay hammerbeam roof dated 1542. Moulded timber trusses and stone corbels (4 of which are foliage carved); carved figures with gilded angels and shields to hammerbeams. Encaustic tile floor to chancel. High octopartite ribbed stone vault to tower chamber beyond pointed rubble arch with modern screen. The famous 5-bay arcade originally from Abbey Cwmhir shows the stylistic influence of the West Country School of Masons of the C12 as seen at Wells Cathedral and Glastonbury Abbey. Compound piers with filleted shafting (except end piers); 6-order arches with deep hollows and variety of capital ornament - some stiff leaf and transitional type trumpets. As there was a somewhat irregular reconstruction of the capitals, they follow no particular sequence of development and in some cases appear to be reset in reverse - the western bay is also slightly narrower. The bases are at varying levels (higher to east over sanctuary of earlier church) and mostly of vaguely water-holding type. To N of the arcade lies the aisle with C14 font, central war memorial and screen of 1956 by Bernard Miller to Lady Chapel altar. Victorian pulpit and reredos. Stained Glass: Sanctuary East Window depicts Christ reigning in Majesty attended by apostles and saints on upper panels with lower panels showing scenes from the death and resurrection (Clayton & Bell 1886). To south wall besides door Jesus holds open a book with the text ‘I am the True Vine’ and is surrounded by disciples arranged to evoke the tree of Jesse (Clayton and Bell 1935), and in the next opening eastwards Millenium Window depicts flora and fauna radiating out from primordial chaos (Bill Bleasdale, 2000). In North aisle four windows from west to east; Old Testament figures Moses, Jeremiah and King David, next apostles St Peter, St James the Great and St John, (both windows circa 1891 of uncertain authorship), then St Michael overcoming the Dragon and finally Welsh Saints St David, St Idloes and St Deiniol (these two windows by Geoffrey Webb 1932). St Idloes is depicted drawing water from St Idloes’ Well.  

Multi-period church of exceptional historic and architectural interest. The early C16 phase incorporating material from one of the foremost abbeys of medieval Wales alongside a newly commissioned decorated roof provides a unique historic insight into the condition of religion in Wales in the early days of the English Reformation. The well preserved fourteenth century tower and a good collection of C19 and C20 stained glass add to the building’s architectural interest.  

Stained Glass in Wales website, accessed 17 June 2024
Historic Environment Records: CPAT1856, CPAT16880,
Historic Landscapes – Clywedog Valley, Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust,
Llygad Y Ffynnon - Cylchlythyr Cymdeithas Ffynhonnau Cymru (Newsletter of the Welsh Wells Society)., 2008
R Haslam, "Powys", Buldings of Wales Series,
S Lewis, "A Topographical Dictionary of Wales", vol 1 1842.,
C E Vaughn Owen papers in National Library of Wales.,