Church Heritage Record 3016

The church consists of a nave, chancel, north aisle and south transept. The tower abuts the chancel on its north side. There are two porches to the west and south of the nave. The southern porch has been greatly extended. 

St Mary’s Church is said to have been built for Gilbert de Clare (1138-48) or his son Richard Strongbow (1148-76), but is likely to be contemporary with the major building at the castle by William Marshal, first Earl of Pembroke between1204 and 1219. The church consists of a nave, chancel, south transept, north aisle and tower. The nave and chancel are the oldest part of building (early 13th century), possibly followed by the tower (14th century), north aisle and transept (14th/15th century).

The battlemented broad tower is believed to be the largest in the county and has a ground floor chamber with a groined vault and wide flat ribs. There is no longer a north transept, although an odd half-vault still remains. Round-headed windows were revealed in the south wall of the nave during restoration in 1876-9 by the Gothic Revival Architect, John Loughborough Pearson, but were covered up again. The south doorway is round-arched with continuous deep roll mouldings (similar to nearby Monkton Priory). The older part of the barrel vaulted south porch may also be contemporary with the nave and chancel. The barrel vaulted north aisle has an arcade of four unadorned arches and is identical to the arcades at William Marshal's Tintern de Voto Abbey in County Wexford. A new tall chancel arch was added during the restoration, along with new stained glass windows and roofs. The south transept became a Lady Chapel in 1946.

References: Pevsner Buildings of Wales – Pembrokeshire and Cadw listed building description.

The church is built from rubble stone with slate roofs and coped gables. Nave with south porch and south transept, chancel, north aisle and massive NE tower. West porch of 1926, south porch extended out to street in 1937. All windows are late 19th century replacements in Bath stone. West end has plate traceried 2-light window with trefoil in head and stone voussoirs, over large 1926 porch. West porch has coped gable, high plinth, and double doors in pointed wide arch in grey Forest of Dean stone, with flat-headed window above with hood mould and 3 pointed lights. Pointed window each side. Stone seats within and stained glass 3-light window (The Annunciation c1930). Inner doorway of 1890 with double doors in ashlar pointed surround with column shafts. Straight joint between nave and narrower lower north aisle, of red sandstone rubble in contrast to the grey limestone generally used. This has similar west plate-traceried 2-light with quatrefoil in head and stone voussoirs. North side has three widely spaced 19th century chamfered lancets, the right one with signs of replacing an earlier window. Wall-head was raised in 19th century. Blocked centre door. Straight joint to left, to tower. Tower is exceptionally large, of squared grey stone, five-stage, with slight batter and corbelled embattled cornice. NW stair tower projects slightly on west, flush on north but with 4 louvred loops. Openings with stone voussoirs and stone louvres. Two-light bell-opening each side with cambered heads to lights. West side has pointed window under bell-light, and an opening below, above north aisle roof ridge. Narrow pointed loop on north side at same level, below is a square-headed louvred opening and at ground floor a recessed pointed window and small inserted door to right, to tower stair. Five storeys to east side: 2-light segmental pointed window at ground floor, with segmental-pointed lights, pointed single light above, loop to third stage, pointed opening, and then the paired bell lights. At left of ground floor is big half-arch against chancel north (made to allow access to existing chancel north door, now blocked). Marks of a lean-to building in angle to chancel. Chancel has lower roof than nave, short high length of north wall to left of tower with signs of a low blocked opening, and big 1907 5-light east window with roll-mouldings to two main 2-light divisions and top roundel. Hood mould over. South side is obscured by buildings on Main Street. South nave has centre 19th century 2-light window with quatrefoil roundel, another 19th century 2-light set high, just east of south porch. To east of porch is south transept with 19th century 3-light stepped lancet south window. Chancel south wall is mostly 19th century with three long 2-light windows. South porch was extended out to Main Street in 1937 with stone gable, pointed door between lancets, and narrow niche over (this replaced an early 19th century one-bay building with door recessed in an arch and window over, possibly of 1822.

Reference: Cadw listed building description.

Plastered walls and north arcade of four pointed arches on chamfered square piers. North aisle has pointed barrel vault. 19th century rafter roof to nave, with arch braces to make 11 bays. Ashlar south transept and chancel arches, both double-chamfered with no capitals. South transept 19th century rafter roof. North aisle third window in blocked pointed opening of a lost transept. East end of north aisle has deep chamfered pointed tower arch. Tower has vaulted ground floor with thick square ribs (similar to those at Monkton Old Hall) to octagonal vault with octagonal centre opening. Chancel has 19th century pointed boarded ceiling with transverse ribs. Quarter-round stone corbel table on south wall and north wall to right of tower. North wall left has lower corbels carrying wall-thickening for tower, over pointed triple-chamfered low tower arch. Blocked rood loft door to left of tower arch, and blocked external north door to right. South wall has small pointed piscina and deep recess above. 13th century arched south door with two continuous roll-moulds and a hood (like the door at Monkton Priory). Damaged, possibly 13th century, niche over with 17th century tablet to Andros Anderson Marcer, from Switzerland, died 1622. Stone curved vault and stone benches. Porch extension with roof of 1937. West wall plaque 1937, and plaque of 1822 with 'James Hird/ Rich Ormond/ Church/ wardens/ WB Fech'. East wall pointed door to space between church and Clock House.

Fittings: 12th century square font, scalloped, with darts, sloped in to rope moulding at top of round shaft. Large reredos of 1893 by Pearson, Bath stone, carved by N. Hitch. Christ with Evangelist symbols and angels to big canopied centre panel, musician angels each side, in two banks of two, with canopies copied from 15th century canopies on Adams memorial (see below). Stone side panelling with ogee crocketted heads. Altar of 1940, with marble shelf and low oak back of c1920. Pulpit, 1880, by Pearson with blind tracery and angle crocketted piers. Ornate stalls by K. McAlpin 1909, the ends carved with lily and rose, front with ringed shafts, leaf cusps and lilies and roses. Pitch pine pews by Pearson. Inner west porch 1992 by P.M. Bartosch. South transept has Gothic oak reredos and altar of 1946 and dado panelling. North aisle has altar and reredos of c1932, and matching door to tower. Timber Gothic altar rails, 1937. Organ by Conacher 1890 in Gothic case. Chancel tiles 1884, carpeted over. In sanctuary, carved chair with panel of St Peter, perhaps reused continental work. Stained glass: Two west windows 1879, four Evangelists, by Clayton & Bell. East window 1907 by Kempe & Co, Crucifixion and four saints. By Kempe & Co: chancel south right 1918 and centre c1918; nave south left 1916 and right 1910; and 3 north aisle windows 1909. Patterned glass in chancel south, c1879 and south transept, 1908.

Monuments: Adjoining chancel arch, fragments of a late medieval relief in alabaster, converted in 1607 to a monument to the Adams family of Paterchurch, itself dismantled. In front is a damaged Bath stone pedestal with stepped top to Roger Adames, died 1707. On wall to left, slate neo-Grec plaque to W. H. Adams, died 1833, and stone to Robert Seafort died 1630. Chancel north memorial to Edward Byam of Antigua died 1768, wreathed oval. Fine Bath stone plaque to R. and J. Meyricke, children, died 1606, small, flanked by half figures with Ionic capitals, under large cartouche; 17th century plaque above to W. Goodacre, with cartouche, cherub heads, and winged skull. Chancel south, Brig-Gen Sir F. Meyrick, died 1932, with carved arms, designed by Herbert Allen, artist of Tenby; 2nd Lt W George, killed 1918, oval alabaster with wreath. North aisle north plaque to John Gwyther, died 1737, with winged cherubs and skull; marble plaque to Lt Col S. Ferrior, killed at Waterloo 1815, by Reeves of Bath. North aisle east, memorial to Lt Gen Alexander Adams, died 1834, neo-Grec with banner, by R. Westmacott Jr; plaque to Charlotte Adams, died 1814, with torches, by Harris of Dublin. In south transept, fine memorial to Francis Parry, Mayor, died 1688, brass in painted stone frame with broken pediment, cherubs and hourglass. Nave south: brass to W. Hulm JP died 1886, by Mayer & Co; later 20th century oval plaque to R D R Davies; granite plaque to Lt R. Treweeks RN, killed 1915; War Memorial plaque in alabaster frame.

Reference: Cadw listed building description.