 Summary
St Cynllo's church occupies a spur jutting towards the
River Ithon, a short distance to the west. It functioned as a mother
church in the early medieval era and in this context earthworks within its
irregularly shaped churchyard could be significant. Most of its
architecture can be attributed to the 14thC and 16thC, with considerable
but generally sympathetic renovation in the early 20thC. It is unusual for
having the tower at the east end, has an interesting range of fixtures and
fittings, and contains more dated inscriptions in stone and wood than any
other church in Radnorshire, and perhaps in Powys.
Nave may be c.1300 on basis of small lancets, though a
church history claims there are older blocked windows in the north wall of
the building (now rendered over).
Date of chancel unknown but could be as late as tower
which was built in 16thC; features of the latter include south door and
blocked windows, at least two stair turret windows,and re-used
architectural stonework from Cwmhir Abbey; its height was reduced,
probably in 1701. Bells added at this time but frame has date 1752.
South, east and perhaps part of north walls of chancel and
part of south wall of nave rebuilt, probably in 1732, on evidence of
window inscription in nave.
West wall reconstructed at some unspecified time, but
probably precedes 1908 restoration which was responsible for new windows,
a door towards west end of nave and the south porch.
Parts of the following description are quoted from the
1979 publication The Buildings of Wales: Powys by Richard
Haslam
History
Llanbister was a mother church for the cantref of
Maelienydd, the churches of Llanbadarn Fynydd, Llananno, Llanddewi
Ystradenni and Llanfihangel Rhydithon being dependent on it. This in
itself should indicate an early medieval origin, a contention reinforced
by both the dedication and the location.
Giraldus Cambrensis reputedly spent a night in the church
on one of his ecclesiastical expeditions c.1176.
It is recorded as 'Ecclesia de Lanbyst' in the Taxatio of
1291 with a particularly high value of œ30 13s 4d, the largest income of
any church in the Archdeaconry of Brecon.
Williams (in 1818), recorded that the church was repaired
in 1701, and the tower reduced to its present height. Two of the bells
carry this date, as does a stone set into south-east buttress.
Further work was undertaken in 1716 when the gallery was
erected, and in 1732 when at least one new window was added. Woodwork in
the ringing loft has the date 1752.
Glynne visited the church in 1851, observing that the
chancel was raised up, that the west end was partitioned off for a school,
and that on the north side was a closed window that had a Romanesque look.
A report of 1874 refers to a 16-bay roof with alternate
trusses.
It was restored in 1908 by W.D.Caroe and H.Passmore, who
retained the internal woodwork which is such a feature of the building,
but remodelled the roof.
Architecture
Llanbister church has a nave and chancel in one, a tower
at the east end abutting chancel and set deep into the side of the slope,
and a south porch. The church is oriented north-west/south-east, but
'ecclesiastical east' is adopted here for descriptive purposes.
Fabrics: 'A' consists of small to medium grey slabs and
blocks of shale, irregularly coursed. 'B' consists of small and
occasionally medium blocks of brown and grey shale, randomly coursed. 'C'
is a mixture of generally small grey blocks and slabs of shale, much of it
lichen covered. 'D' is grey shale and fine sedimentary (?mudstone) with
rare blocks of yellow sandstone; random coursing but generally a regular
appearance; render traces survive on some stone. 'E' consists of small
through to large blocks of grey and iron stained shale, the largest blocks
reserved for quoins and for foundations, the whole uncoursed. 'F' is
similar to 'D' but cleaner and no render.
Fabric 'B' is original medieval, but in places may have
been rebuilt using original material. 'E' is probably 16thC and 'D'
possibly so. 'A' at west end thought to be post-medieval, perhaps 18thC or
19thC. 'C' results from 20thC restoration and construction.
Roofs: slate tiles with reconstituted clay ridge tiles; no
finials. Nave and chancel roofed in one.
Drainage: a drainage gully with downpipes along north side
with battered inner face; at least 0.3m deep at west end but further east,
the gully merges into the increasingly deep terrace created in the
hillside for the church, at least 1.5m lower than adjacent ground surface.
No recognisable drainage on south or west.
Exterior
Nave. General. Nave and chancel appear as one on north
side and on roof line, but chancel wider on south. Nave of the 13thC on
basis of small lancets in north and south walls.
North wall: completely rendered but one for patch where
masonry exposed. Four windows, from west: i) two-light with cinquefoil
tracery under round heads, in flat-topped frame; all in red and olive
sandstone; early 20thC insertion; ii) and iii) small, simple 13thC lancets
lacking chamfers, arched heads fashioned from single blocks, sills
replaced; more westerly window in flaking grey sandstone which may be
replacement; that to east in original sandstone. Both have leaded lights;
iv) a broader lancet to light the rood, chamfered to create external
splay; one of jambs could be replaced but rest in red sandstone is
probably original.
East wall: none.
South wall: largely rendered with at least four different
toned coatings. From east: i) wall leans outwards; 14thC priest's door
with two-centred arch, chamfered dressings all in red sandstone, though
the arch completely replaced; all dressings have traces of whitewash; the
basal stops replaced, one in brick, one in broken yellow sandstone;
innermost part of reveal of brick or plastered over; simple wooden door
approached by four steps; ii) c.1.5m west of priest's door, next section
of wall is plumb; contains one four-light flat-headed window, all the
lights with simple two-centred arched heads with what appears to be modern
tracery in light coloured sandstone; one jambstone has an inverted
inscription incorporating initials and the date 1657, another has an
inscription containing the words 'W:Mason 1732'; above the window there is
no render, and the masonry consists largely of sandstone blocks; iii) 3m
east of porch, wall resumes its original plane with outwards lean. The
base of the wall is battered to height of c.0.7m; there is a single lancet
window with a modern sill and the rest of its dressings covered in render;
above the window there is no render exposing masonry of Fabric 'B' type;
curiously the stone has been laid to tip down towards the head of the
lancet; above this is a possible slit window, partly blocked, but with the
lintel stone and eastern side reasonably obvious; iv) in line with west
side of the porch wall face is plumb, a mixture of Fabrics 'A' and 'C'.
Set in matrix of 'C' is a three-centred arched doorway in brick-red and
grey sandstone, chamfered, giving access to boiler room; above is a
rectangular window with two rounded headed lights with cinquefoil tracery
in comparable sandstone. Directly above is a second similar window and
both are comparable with most westerly of the north nave windows. These
windows and surrounding material appear to be inserted, the rest of the
south wall being in Fabric 'A'.
West wall: all in Fabric 'A' but banded masonry inasmuch
as lower levels of grey shale blocks with zone of narrow grey shale slabs
above, the patterning repeated higher up. Whole wall is plain, except for
three buttresses, all of different design. One buttress projects from
centre of wall and may be a chimney for a chimney pot in brick-red
sandstone above apex of wall, while two diagonal buttresses at angles.
Unclear as to whether diagonal buttresses contemporary with wall face.
Chancel. North wall: continuous with nave - no obvious
division. Two windows: both broad, squat single lancets with leaded
lights, two-centred arched heads in brown sandstone - early 20thC? Between
these windows is the renderless masonry which appears to be Fabric 'B'.
East wall: much of this disguised by tower, except on
south. Here chancel wall in Fabric 'D', the lower portion projecting as a
chamfered plinth. Above its apex, a buttress runs to full height of tower.
Two mural tablets pinned to the main wall but both too badly flaked to be
intelligible, a third clearly there until recently. However, at the base
is a low wall stub perhaps >0.5m high and not extending as far south as
east wall of chancel. This stub wall joins, in the same plane, what
appears to be a buttress projecting from south wall of tower and
constructed of similar fabric to tower. In fact it appears likely that
both stub wall and buttress are remnants of former chancel wall, for above
the point where the buttress terminates the tower wall is scarred as
though a former wall broken off.
South wall: wall is plumb with chamfered plinth continuing
rounds from east side. All in Fabric 'D' with well-dressed quoinstones,
and towards west end curious 'herring-bone' pattern of masonry high up on
wall. Rectangular window of five lights with two-centred arched heads and
sunken spandrels, comparable with that in south wall of nave. Butt joint
of nave and chancel implies that end wall of nave removed, as chancel wall
has quoins in red sandstone higher up and in shale at lower levels where
they project behind nave masonry. Wall supports a single mural tablet of
1813.
Tower. General. Walls of Fabric 'E', without any
embellishments such as string courses. Diagonal buttresses at south-east
and north-east angles. Basic structure is of 16thC, but has a slated
two-stage pyramidal roof, dating to 1701, surmounted by weathercock and
vane, and two louvred lights in each of the vertical timber faces that
separate the stages.
North wall: plain. Date 1991 scratched on stone high up on
wall indicating date of recent restoration. At north-west corner is a
projecting stair turret exhibiting three rectangular slit windows; the
upper two have unchamfered jambs in gold sandstone and leaded lights; the
lowest has shale jambs, an unleaded light, and thus might be a later
insertion (though this is not confirmed by internal splay details).
East wall: again in Fabric 'E' but more yellow sandstone,
and one block has inscription. Just under eaves, a rectangular slot window
with yellow sandstone jambs, now blocked.
South wall: south-east angle buttress has inscription with
date of 1701 and may be an addition to the tower for bonded in with large
blocks of red sandstone unlike anything on north side. Doorway has
three-centred arch in yellow sandstone; only the head is chamfered. Arch
is set into thickness of wall, and the exterior reveal, incorporating
yellow and grey sandstone, has triangular head of edge set stones. About
2m higher up is relieving arch of shale blocks on edge. Just below eaves
is another blocked rectangular window with yellow sandstone jambs.
Porch. General. Fabric 'F'. No porch existed when church
photographed in 1905.
East wall: plain; one mural slab of 1819 pegged to it.
South wall: simple large rectangular entrance, the gable
consisting of tie beam with raking struts infilled with plaster and
supported on walls which include well-dressed brick-red sandstone quoins
of early 20thC date.
West wall: plain.
Interior
Porch. General. From the path three external steps and
seven internal steps lead to main south door of church. Steps consist of
slate set on brick foundations. Simple roof of single bay with outer truss
as described above, and inner of principal rafters linked by collar and
resting on tie-beam stubs.
North wall: contains main south door to church, a
two-centred arch in grey and light-brown sandstone, double chamfered
without stops, thought to be of 14thC date. Underpinned with brick on east
side, and also inner side of reveal has brick fill (as priest's door).
East wall: stoup formed from Early English capital set in
wall next to door. Also a large rectangular, but shallow, alcove with
wooden lintel, of no obvious function. Two grey sandstone architectural
fragments set into wall above it.
South wall: nothing
West wall: also has alcove, as east wall, but on this side
four architectural fragments fixed decoratively into wall.
Nave. General. Threshold stone at door is weathered 18thC
grave slab with flags just inside; then 8 concrete steps up to interior.
Beside this is a completely enclosed baptistry, sunk into floor. Nave
floor of stone slabs and occasional gravestone, with carpet down the
aisle. No heating vents visible but boiler room fashioned in 1908 (and
entered through external door, west of porch) argues strongly for
underfloor voids. Also at least one vault near chancel steps, sealed in
the early 20thC. Roof is modern (but modelled on a 15thC predecessor) with
four bays defined by five tie beams, and between each are two arch-braced
collars with crown posts and raking struts; all rest on wooden corbels;
four tiers of windbraces, the upper three quatrefoils, the lowest
trefoils. At west end of nave, a gallery dated 7 July 1716, and beneath
this in north-west corner, a panelled vestry from 1908, all lit by the
cinquefoil windows on north and south sides of nave. Walls plastered and
whitewashed.
North wall: battered slightly; features from west: i)
vestry with 20thC window; ii) wall painting fragment showing part of
frame; iii) wall monument to Rev Lloyd (d.1838); iv) mural tablet of 1833;
v) deeply splayed window with two-centred arched embrasure; vi)
fragmentary wall painting similar to previous; vii) beneath wall painting
is case containing parts of musical instruments used by musicians in
gallery - undated; viii) deeply splayed window, its sloping sill lower
than that to west; ix) another fragmentary wall painting with traces of
lettering, overlapped by: x) mural tablet of 1790.
Apologies for reproducing this page in
its entirety from:http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk/projects/longer/churches/radnor/16816.htm
Please visit that site.
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