24519

 

II  

Designated  

12/01/2001  

12/01/2001  

Church of St Michael  

 

Powys  

Llanafanfawr  

Builth Wells  

Llanfihangel Bryn Pabuan  

298407  

256647  

NW  

The church is set within a polygonal churchyard adjacent to the main road, surrounded by a number of yew trees.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

The church is C13-14 and retains fabric and a low-level window from that period. The arch-braced roofs are early C16. In 1868 the church was restored by C Buckeridge. New windows were inserted and the walls partly rebuilt with new quoins. The font appears to be medieval but has been recut.  

A small church with nave and chancel in one, S porch and N vestry. Constructed of rubble stone, the walls slightly battered, under slate roofs. Trefoil-headed lights throughout. Detail includes large sandstone quoins, and raised copings and cross finials to gables. The gabled porch is offset to the L with sandstone dressings. Pointed arched entrance, chamfered with broach stops, under a hoodmould with square stops. Similar doorway into church, containing a planked door with iron strapwork. The porch has a 2-bay arch-braced roof, probably early C16, and side benches. There are no openings L of the porch. To the R is a small medieval low-level window with monolithic trefoiled head. Taller C19 trefoil-headed lights flanking, one to its L and 2 lighting the chancel. The medieval fabric continues almost to arch spring level of the windows. Three-light window with sexfoil to E end, under a hoodmould with square stops. The N side has a single light to the chancel, to the R of which is the lower gabled vestry. This has single lights as elsewhere to the E and N sides. A bell is attached to the wall in the angle between chancel and vestry. To the R of the vestry are 2 lights. The W end has a 2-light window with quatrefoil and a hoodmould as elsewhere.  

The interior has a 7-bay arch-braced roof with 2 raked struts above each brace and 2 purlins to each side. Pews flanking a central aisle with carved bench ends. Quarry tile floor. A circular stoup with moulded top edge is fixed to the wall immediately E of the entrance, above which is a carved head, a former corbel. In the SW corner of the nave is a circular font on a circular stem with 2-tier base, set on a square plinth with canted angles. It appears to be a medieval font which has been recut. The pulpit has a wood panelled front on an octagonal stone base with moulded top edge. Each panel has a 2-light blind arch. The chancel has plain choir stalls, 2 to each side. The low-level window to the S has angled reveals which face towards the nave, and an irregular head. Opposite is the doorway into the vestry, with shouldered lintel. Set into the wide corbelled sill of the window N of the altar, is a shell-shaped piscina. The window immediately S of the altar has a stone window seat. The side windows have coloured margin glazing. On the N wall is a rectangular stone tablet commemorating Thomas Huet (1524-1591) who translated the Book of Revelation into Welsh, and Thomas Price (1787-1848).  

Listed as a small rural church retaining medieval fabric and features, especially its fine roof.