St David's Church, Llangeview
| St David's Church, Llangeview | |
|---|---|
 St David's Church, Llangeview, from the southeast | |
  St David's Church, Llangeview Location in Monmouthshire | |
| Coordinates: 51°42′06″N 2°52′27″W / 51.7017°N 2.8742°W | |
| OS grid reference | NZ 274 513 |
| Location | Llangeview, Monmouthshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Website | Friends of Friendless Churches |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint David |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 18 November 1980 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Closed | 1999 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, stone tile roofs |
St David's Church, Llangeview, is a redundant church sited in a round churchyard adjacent to the junction of the A449 and A472 roads 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of the town of Usk in Monmouthshire, Wales. It has been designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building,[1] and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches.[2] It is Grade I listed because of its "exceptional interior" including a 15th-century rood-loft and "rare pre-Victorian box pews and fittings".[1] The church stands in a churchyard that is almost circular, and is surrounded by a bank and the traces of a ditch.[3]
History
The first record of a church on the site is in 1254.[3] However the present church dates mainly from the 15th century and it was probably originally dedicated to Saint Cyfyw. It was declared redundant in 1999.[1] The charity the Friends of Friendless Churches holds a 999 year lease with effect from 19 November 1999.[4] Since then repairs have been carried out to the exterior.[2]
Architecture
St David's is constructed in stone rubble and has stone tile roofs. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel, with a west porch. On the east gable is a cross finial, and on the west gable is a bellcote. The bellcote has two triangular openings; the bells were dated 1598 and 1688, but only one of these was still present by 1999. On the south side of the church are three windows in Perpendicular style; there are no windows on the north side. The east window has three lights. At the east end of the nave on each side is a buttress, and there is a Tudor arched door on the south wall of the chancel.[1]
The church has a "remarkable unrestored interior with 18th-century fittings".[1] Its floor slopes downwards from the west. The walls are plastered and whitewashed; the pointed chancel arch is also plastered. The frame and the front of the loft of the original 15th-century rood screen are still present. There is a set of pre-Victorian box pews.[1] These include a large squire's pew, above which is a monument to William Jones who died in 1829.[3] The pulpit is five-sided, and the communion rail is supported by turned balusters. There are stone benches along the east wall and a small, damaged piscina in the south wall. The font is square on a square base. On the floor of the nave and the chancel, and on the north wall, are memorial slabs.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Church of St David, Llangeview, Historic Wales (Cadw), retrieved 30 July 2010
- 1 2 Llangeview St David's, Friends of Friendless Churches, retrieved 30 July 2010
- 1 2 3 Saunders, Matthew (2010), Saving Churches, London: Frances Lincoln, pp. 71–72, ISBN 978-0-7112-3154-2
- ↑ Churches and chapels owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches: Details for Visitors, London: Friends of Friendless Churches, June 2010