24762

 

II  

Designated  

14/02/2001  

14/02/2001  

Church of St Arvan  

 

Monmouthshire  

St. Arvans  

Chepstow  

St. Arvans  

351658  

196519  

N  

In the centre of St. Arvans village approached from the Devauden road by both Church Lane and Grange Road.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

A medieval church of which only the chancel is fully medieval, the nave having been very heavily rebuilt in 1883 by J P Seddon, while the tower dates from 1820 and was paid for by Nathaniel Wells of Piercefield Park. The earliest feature is the Norman priest's door which could be C12, but it too has been restored. The parish of St Arvans was combined with those of Devauden, Itton, Penterry and Kilgwrrwg in 1981.  

The church is constructed of local sandstone apart from the openings of the 1883 structure and the tower windows which are of Bath limestone; it has Welsh slate roofs, those on the tower roof are thicker. It has a nave with north and south aisles, separate chancel, octagonal west tower, south porch, vestry on the chancel north wall and a sexton's store in the angle between the tower and the south aisle. The nave walls are almost entirely covered by the aisles, the chancel and the tower, only a small section of the east and west gables can be seen. Steeply pitched roofs with coped gables, east gable cross. The north and south aisles are identical except for the projecting south porch which takes the place of the left hand window. This has a 3-centred arch and a steeply pitched gable with a cross. Low wall with 2-light windows with trefoil heads, two on the south and three on the north. Three gabled dormers on each side, with timber fronts each with two trefoil headed lights and trefoil light over. Steeply pitched gable with bargeboards. The end walls of the aisles have unusual stepped triple light windows with trefoil heads. The chancel south wall has the priest's door and another 2-light window as before, this is a genuine one of c1300. The east gable wall has a 3-light window with uncusped lights and three trefoils in the head above. Coped gable with cross. The north wall is blind, but is partly covered by a projecting gabled vestry of 1883. This has a paired lancet on the east wall and one with trefoil light over on the north wall, also an arched doorway. The west tower is square with the corners chamfered and a pyramid roof. Three stages separated by plat bands. The low first stage has a doorway with a cranked head and impost blocks. The second stage has a Victorian window of two tall lancets with quatrefoil over. The bell stage has a pointed opening with louvre on each floor and a slit to each chamfer. The churchyard has a range of C19 memorials, the most significant of which is the chest tomb of Zouch Turton who died in 1814 in the south west corner. The churchyard is surrounded by a stone wall with wrought iron gates on the west side.  

The interior is plastered and painted throughout except for the stone dressings. The three bay nave arcades and the chancel arch are of C14 character. The tower arch is filled by an oak screeen of 1931 with a later glazed interlace head. The nave roof is of three bays of arch braced collar beams with kingposts. The chancel roof is a two bay unceiled waggon with carved and painted ribs, and with a further bay, which is ceiled and painted, over the altar. All the fittings are Victorian or later. Victorian benches. East window of 1932. Priest's desk of 1942. Reredos and panelling of 1946. Oak choir stalls and communion rail of c1960. There is said to be a single bell dated 1752. The electric lighting was installed in 1924 as a memorial to Henry Clay of Piercefield, died 1921.  

Included for its architectural interest as a three period church with medieval chancel, west tower of 1820 and Victorian nave and restoration by J P Seddon in 1883.