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.
Abbeycwmhir is in the remote hills of northern Radnorshire, it is on th south-facing side of the U-shaped valley of the Cwm Hir where the Coed Prth steam runs into the main stream. The village is about 14 km north of Llandrindod Wells via the A483 turning to the west north of Crossgates. A very poor former tunrpike leads to Rhayader some10 km to the west south-west.
References
Route Planner Directions, traffic and maps AA
The name/dedication of the church to which the plan refers.
A brief description of the plan. eg. who created it and where it came from.
The date the plan was created.
The details of any copyright are displayed here.
The name of the person who inputted the plan.
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.
Abercwmhir - the Abbey of the Long Valley - was the site of Cistercian Abbey traditionally founded on 1 August 1176. It was the traditional resting place for Prince Llewelyn ap Gruffydd (the last Prince of Wales) where his body was buried after meeting his death in Cilmeri. His head was cut off and taken to London. The Abbey sustained damage during the Glyndŵr revolt and was disolved by Henry VIII in March 1537.
The Abbey was then used as a quarry for building materials both for Llanidloes church and later for the building of St Mary's Church in the village. This was built by Richard Fowler in 1680. Richard Fowler was Sheriff of Radnorshire and in 1655 built a new house, the church following after the Restoration. Richard Fowler was the personna of the verse: "Radnorshire, poor Radnorshire, Never a parkand never a deer, Never a squire of five hundred a year But Richard Fowler of Abbey Cwmhir." This church was repaired in the 1820s but by the 1860 it was considered to be 'totally unfit for its purpose, and very uncomfortable for its worshippers'. At that time the squire (George Philips)'s sister Miss Mary Beatrice Philips agreed to defray the cost of a new church. The old church was taken down and a new one to the design of J W Poundley of Kerry (the Montgomeryshire County Surveyor) and David Walker of Liverpool was built. David Walker had designed a new hall for the Philips family. The contractor being James Porteous of Welshpool. The church was consecrated on 14 November 1866.
Until 1831 the church was a chapelry of Llanbister.
Cadw Listings Notice
Buildings of Wales – Powys 2013
Church Quinquennial Inspection Reports
CPAT Radnorshire Churches Survey
A Survey of Ceramic Tiles in the Radnorshire Churches M A V Gill 20052
Abbeys & Priories of Medieval Wales Janet Burton and Kate Stöber 2015
Roads and Trackways of Wales Richard Moore – Colyer 2001
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The structure of the church is of a chancel with polygonal apse east end, chancel arch and slightly wider nave with a south west porch with an intriguing tower above the porch.The church is constructed with squared, coursed grey local stone with red sandstone in the string courses, window arches and window shafts. Pink sedimentary sandstone to the window tracery. Granite columns each side of the south door and to those supporting the spire roof. Slate covered roofs with ornamental terracotta ridge tiles. It is built in a French High-Gothic style.
The Normandy tower is over the porch in which a ring of colonnettes interrupts between the broaches and its octagonal spirelet. The spirelet turns octagonal above the tower and is broken by a belvedere with squat broad colonettes and crocket capitals , above which is a cornice of punched decoration. The lucarnes in th cardinal directions have similar decoration, and the spirelet is further enhanced with 2 bands of shallow arcaded frieze.
The geometrical tracery to the windows is typical of Poundleys lancet and circle design. The east window breaks the roof line and is similar to the church of Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd built by Poundley and Walker some three years earlier.
On the church walls red sandstone is used to create patterned arch heads while on the roof there are three bands of lighter grey slates and iron finials to the chancel and organ chamber.
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.
In the furnishing of the interior Miss Philips seems to have been most generous with the expenditure. The nave has a 4 bay roof with scissor trusses with posts carried on foliage-enriched corbels. Between the rafters is a plastered ceiling. Dividing the nave from the chancel is a 2-centred chancel arch with short polished granite shafts on foliage-enriched corbels, crocket capitals which continue as an impost band and 3 orders of roll mouldings. The inner order has a painted description. The arch is spanned by a rood beam.
The chancel has a boarded polygonal wagon roof with moulded ribs and cornice. Behind the reed organ by R F Stephens Ltd is a small sacristy, which is recessed in a pointed opening with a blank tympanum. The organ chamber itself has a polygonal boarded ceiling with moulded ribs. The chancel floor is laid with ecuastic tiles from Maw tile works while the sanctuary area has diapered tiles from Godwin's of Lugwardine. Around the sanctuary is a dado of decorative tiles and there is a Caen stone reredos in C13 French style. The gabled central panel has finials and depicts the Last Supper in high relief. The outer Venetian-style mosaic panels depict the Agns Dei and Pelican of Piety. These panels are framed by squat marble shafts and crocket capitals. Before the reredos is a pine altar table with two floor standing oak candle holders. Surrounding the communion rail has iron uprights with elaborate scroll brackets and a wooden rail.
In the nave is a decorative polygonal stone pulpit with ring shafts and lower-relief timber lining and a brass eagle lectern on timber stand. The font is circular decorative limestone font on and central and four stub columns and square base with timber lid (decorative metalwork and brass lifting ring). There is an inscription round the bowl, broken by roundels with low relief crosses in the cardinal directions and reads in raised letters 'Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.'
The stained glass in the chancel is by Heaton Butler & Bayne in Pre-Raphaelite style. The east window depicts 'The Crucifixion and Resurection' 1866 with 'Christ in Majesty' in the tracery lights. The south window shows 'The Baptism of Christ and the Agony in the Garden' 1866. The west window is by Clayton and Bell and depicts 'The Nativity', with ' the boy Jesus at the Temple and the Last Supper' in the main lights. In the wheel tracery are 'the 12 Apostles and Mary Magdalene' 1870.
In the tower there are three large iron bells by Naylor Vickers dated 1866.
A Survey of Ceramic Tiles in the Radnorshire Churches M A V Gill 2005
Stained Glass in Wales
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.