The name or dedication of the church.
This identifies the church type. Most churches are parish churches which means they serve a specific parish or area. Other types such as chapel, daughter and mission are mostly historic designations as many are now also parish churches. Please note that former churches are no longer used for worhsip and may be in private ownership.
A unique identification number given to every church.
The name of the diocese in which the church is located.
The name of the archdeaconry in which the church is located.
This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.
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There are 3 levels of listing: Grade I, II* & II. The majority of buildings which are of special interest are Grade II. A much smaller number of particularly important buildings are listed as Grade II*. Buildings of exceptional interest (approx 2% of the total number of listed buildings) are Grade I.
Ancient monuments and archaeological remains of national importance are protected by law. Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service is responsible for compiling a schedule (list) of these ancient monuments, some of which can be found in churches and churchyards. Examples can include churchyard crosses and the archaeological remains of previous churches or buildings on the site.
There are three National Parks in Wales: Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons. These protect 20 percent of the land in Wales, including precious landscapes, habitats, villages and heritage sites.
There are over 500 conservation areas in Wales. They are designated by local planning authorities for their special architectural and historic interest.
The Buildings at Risk register is managed by Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service) in order to identify the number and type of listed buildings at risk in Wales.
It is often extremely difficult to determine a precise date of construction for a church as many have been extensively altered over time. Church Heritage Cymru therefore shows a date range within which a church is believed to have been constructed. The dates are as follows: Early Medieval (pre 1066), Medieval (post 1066 to 1540), Post Medieval (1540 to 1837), Victorian/Pre WWI (1837 to 1914) and Modern (post 1914).
The name/dedication of the church and its location.
A brief description of the image
The date the image was created.
Details of any copyright are displayed here.
The name of the person who uploaded the image.
This is a very brief summary of the church's main features. More detailed nformation can be found in the other fields and pages (tabs) in this database.
Useful information is displayed here for people wishing to visit the church. This may include things like opening hours, catering & toilet facilities, parking, etc.
If the church has its own website the details will be displayed here.
Any further sources of information for the church will be listed here (eg. links to other historic databases).
This is the Ordnance Survey (OS) reference for the location of the church. Some locations will be approximate as this data is continuously being refined and updated.
This is the name of the Local Authoirity within which the church is located.
This describes how the church relates to its immediate and wider environment, sometimes called its setting. It describes how the church contributes to its landscape or townscape and how these things collectively contribute to the character of the area.
Caerwent church is in the centre of the settlement south of the A48 some 20km east of Newport.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 171 Cadw Listing Notice 2014
This is a description of the ground plan of the church.
If known, the dimensions (measurements) of the church ground plan will be displayed here.
If the footrprint (area) of the church is known, it will be displayed here.
A description of the history and archaeology of the church and its site.
This church appears to be C13 in origin although a pre-Norman church is recorded at Caerwent, also a possible early Christian congregation during the Roman period; but there is no evidence that either of these shared the same site as the present church. The chancel and the chancel arch are Early English in character and therefore probably of the C13 in origin, but much rebuilt in the restoration of 1851. The main body of the church was rebuilt probably in the late C15 or early C16, and the porch and the tower were probably also built at that time, although the porch would appear to have been added to the nave. The church was restored in 1851 when the chancel arch and north wall were rebuilt and the east wall refaced; and again in 1910-12 by G E Halliday of Cardiff when the long demolished south aisle was reconstructed. The organ and north nave window glass are memorials to WWI. The west tower window is a memorial to WWII and dates from 1947. The vestry is said to date from 1968 and the tower and south aisle were repaired following a lightning strike in 1974.
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The church consists of nave, separate (weeping) chancel, south aisle, west tower with an external stair-turret to the south, two storey north porch, and vestry, one bay of which serves as an organ chamber, which forms the south chancel aisle. The church is constructed mainly in local, fine-grained grey and red limestones, with Bath stone dressings, but sandstone has been used for most of the dressings of the chancel, and the north and west walls of the nave and the north wall of the porch are constructed in Bath stone ashlar. The roofs are all of Welsh slate type (some are possibly artificial) except, probably, for the top of the tower (unseen) which will be lead. The nave is built of dressed squared stone with the porch projecting on the north wall. This has a pointed arch doorway with a 2-light window with cusped trefoil heads in the gable above; this once lit the parvice, but the floor has been long removed and the porch is open to the roof, which is a late medieval arch braced collar truss type. The porch is flanked to the right by a 3-light Perpendicular window with cusped heads and on the left by a 3-light arched Perpendicular window with dripmould over. Steeply pitched roof with coped east gable with apex cross. The south wall is almost entirely hidden by the south aisle. The chancel has two trefoil headed lancets on the east wall with corner buttresses on either side. Coped gables with apex cross. The north wall has three similar lancets with a corner buttress, all these are of 1851. The south wall is wholly hidden by the chancel aisle except for the corner buttress. The roof is slightly more steeply pitched than the nave and meets it at a slightly lower level. The south chancel aisle (vestry and organ chamber) is of three bays divided by buttresses with offsets. Each bay has a plain 2-light window with Caernarvon head. Doorway in east wall, chimney through the roof. The nave south aisle is of four bays divided by buttresses with offsets. Each bay has a 3-light window with cusped heads and with the head reaching nearly to the eaves. Low pitch roof which meets the nave wall about a metre below the eaves. Two stage west tower of two tall stages divided by a string course and with an octagonal stair turret on the south east corner. The tower is of roughly coursed rubble with dressed quoins and with a slightly battered dressed base. West door with 3-centred arch with two rolls and one hollow mould, above this is a 3-light Perpendicular window with dripmould over, probably all dating from 1947. Narrow door to stair turret. String courses at half door height and at window cill level. There are small windows on the north and south walls to light the ringing chamber. The second (bell) stage has a 2-light window on each wall, the windows are recessed within the wall surface and have decorated heads and fretted infill. Clock on north face below the bell window; this is a memorial to The Rev W Coleman Williams (Vicar of Caerwent 1910-33) and was added in 1934. Above the bell stage is another string course with a castellated parapet and corner gargoyles above and the top of the stair turret which itself rises to a castellated parapet.
Information about any noteable architects, artists, people, or events associated with the church.
Information about any important features and building fabric.
If known, a list of the church's major building material/s will be displayed here.
Any renewable energy systems the church is using will be listed here.
A brief description of the image.
Copyright details.
The name of the person who inputted the image.
This section gives a general description of the interior of the church. Further details of any important internal fixtures and fittings will be listed below.
The interior is rough, unplastered stone with the chancel whitewashed. The stonework features have great variety, the east windows of the chancel and one of the north windows of the nave has a medieval rere-arch, while the chancel arch was probably reconstructed in the 1851 restoration when the north wall of the chancel was rebuilt. The 3-bay nave arcade is medieval but is a fairly crude cutting through and facing up of a previously solid wall. The easternmost arch was probably reconstructed when the then closed up arches were reopened with the rebuilding of the demolished south aisle in 1910-12. The stilted segmental arches in the south wall of the chancel are presumably C16 but were noted as being blocked in 1851. These were partly re-opened when the south chancel aisle was rebuilt. The nave roof is a Victorian C16 style waggon roof with small ribs. The chancel roof is of 3-bays, the easternmost one is of similar type to the nave but with bosses, all are arch braced collars, with two tiers of purlins and common rafters to the other two bays. Both roofs date from the 1851 restoration. The south aisle roof is a plain lean-to type from 1910. The porch has a late medieval arch braced collar roof. There is a small pointed arch doorway to the parvice stair. An empty statue niche with a trefoil head is over the main door which is a pointed arch with five fillets and a dripmould, this last presumably indicates that the porch was an addition. The furnishings are mostly from the 1851 restoration with plain benches, a brass lectern in Gothic style and an oak pulpit dated 1632 on a panelled Victorian stone base; this last was given to the church by Sir Charles Williams of Llangibby. There are two fonts, only the first, that by the door, is native to this church. It is a re-cut Norman tub on a baluster pedestal, probably early C18 in its present form. The second font in the south aisle is also Norman in origin, but has been introduced to this church from the destroyed church at Dinham about 2km to the north of Caerwent. It is a tub type on an unrelated plain base. The organ was installed as a memorial of WWI in 1928. The glass in the north nave window is also a memorial to WWI. There is said to be a single bell (unseen) dated 1861. The altar dates from 1965 and was designed by George Pace, including the communion rail, candlesticks and hanging cross. There are also a number of Roman antiquities, some loose and some built in, including an altar dedicated to Mars in AD 152. Some of these are of fine quality, most are displayed in the porch.
Information about the church's important internal fixtures and fittings.
Information about the church's important moveable items and artworks.
A description of the ecology of the churchyard.
Information about the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.
Records whether the church has been consecrated.
Records whether there have been burials in the churchyard.
Records whether the churchyard is still being used for burials.
Records whether there are any war graves in the churchyard.
Any important churchyard structures will be listed here.
Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship of the church to its surrounding area and helps place it within its wider landscape context.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the significance of the historic building fabric of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the historic significance of the interior of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship between the church and its community.