25485

 

II  

Designated  

11/06/2001  

11/06/2001  

Llanfihangel Abercowyn New Church  

 

Carmarthenshire  

St. Clears  

Carmarthen  

Llanfihangel Abercowyn  

229962  

216970  

S  

Situated beside the main A40 trunk road, on the junction with the minor road to Treventy Farm.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Anglican parish church, dedicated to St Michael. A new church on a more accessible site was proposed in 1830 to plans by W. Carver of Wenallt, but not built until 1847-8, to plans possibly by J.L. Collard. Built on land of, and at sole expense of R. Richards of Trecadwgan, at a cost of £1-1,500. In 1881, it became independent of Meidrim, Rev. William Davies having become the vicar that year. Plans of 1883 by Middleton & Son of Cheltenham of the existing building may indicate some work then, probably the window tracery and a bellcote. Old photographs show a plain 3-bay nave with W bellcote and a short chancel. The church was extensively redesigned in 1915 at a cost of £2300, by W.D. Caroe of London, with lengthened nave, lengthened chancel, a new belfry, porch and vestry, and the blocking of the original W door. The 1915 work including the unusual slated belfry constitutes a relatively rare example of Arts and Crafts movement church work in the county. Thomas Charles, Y Bala, (1755-1814), outstanding figure of Welsh Methodism and nonconformist education, was baptised in the font, then in the old church.  

Anglican parish church, whitewashed roughcast with slate roofs and slate-hung large timber belfry on roof-ridge of nave. Four-window nave and lower, narrower 2-window chancel, with whitewashed stone dressings (said to be red sandstone) and rubble stone plinths. Nave has 2-light long traceried windows to N and S, with varied apex designs, including quatrefoil and cinquefoil (replacing Y-tracery windows of 1847). The window jambs are carried down as a thin moulding below the sills to the plinth. W gable has 2 taller, similar lights, separated by massive stone buttress. Coped gables with cross finials. The square belfry has sloping slated sides and bisected louvered bell-openings, under steep pyramid roof. N porch of 1915 to nave W bay, with coped N gable, stone cross finial, two N buttresses, square headed 2-light windows to N and E, and cambered-headed double door to W in surround with moulded cambered arch dying into broad chamfered flanks. Doors are vertically panelled in studded frames with wrought iron hinges and latch. Chancel has simple narrow single lights of 1915 with shallow pointed heads to N and S and large 3-light pointed E window with hood mould, pointed cusped heads to lights and trefoils in spandrels. Attached 1915 S vestry is flat roofed with coped parapet and rubble plinth. Flight of stone steps at R angles to painted, boarded basement door to E side, with narrow leaded light to L. Pair of square headed 2-lights with Bath stone dressings to S. W end three stone steps to painted, boarded timber door.  

1915 rendered interior. Nave has boarded roofs and tie-beam trusses probably of 1847-8, but under W end trusses are massive oak supports for 1915 belfry, of square posts with arched braces forming narrow side arches and broad cambered centre arch. Exceptional Norman tub font with interlaced arcading in incised line decoration. Chancel has 1895 E window, the Last Supper, by Clayton & Bell, given by R. Carver of Cheltenham. Gothic timber octagonal pulpit of 1915 with panelled sides, band of quatrefoil blind tracery in head of each panel and steps up with turned newel and moulded rail. Oak 7-panel altar front with blind tracery to panels, with cross to centre, matching reredos of 1930 by Mowbray and Co with similar panels each side of projecting central canopy. Crested cornice, vertical wall-panels each side of altar, and low dado panelling to side walls. Oak communion rails with traceried band under rail. Linked chairs as seats to nave, panelled timber stalls to chancel, 1915, by Caroe.  

Included as a C19 church transformed according to arts-and-crafts principles of vernacular simplicity in 1915 by W.D. Caroe. The church contains an exceptional Norman font.