Church Heritage Record

Church Heritage Record 5903

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Core DetailsLocationBuildingInteriorChurchyardSignificanceEnvironmentAudit

St Mary Magdalene, Bleddfa

Name:

The name or dedication of the church.

St Mary Magdalene, Bleddfa
Record Type:

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.

Parish Church
Church code:

A unique identification number given to every church.

5903
Diocese:

The name of the diocese in which the church is located.

Swansea and Brecon
Archdeaconry:

The name of the archdeaconry in which the church is located.

Brecon
Parish:

This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.

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Statutory Designation Information

Listed Building?

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.

This is a Grade I Listed Building
Scheduled Monument?

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 is no Scheduled Monument within the curtilage or precinct

National Park

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. 

The church is not in a National Park

Conservation Area

There are over 500 conservation areas in Wales. They are designated by local planning authorities for their special architectural and historic interest.

The church is not in a Conservation Area

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Buildings At Risk Status

On Buildings At Risk Register?

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. 

This church is not on the Buildings at Risk Register
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Approximate Date

Approximate Date:

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).

Medieval

Exterior Image

St Mary Magdalene, Bleddfa
Caption:

The name/dedication of the church and its location.

St Mary Magdalene, Bleddfa
Description:

A brief description of the image

Year / Date:

The date the image was created.

2017
Copyright:

Details of any copyright are displayed here.

Originator:

The name of the person who uploaded the image.

Sylvia Richards

Summary Description

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.

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Visiting and Facilities

Useful information is displayed here for people wishing to visit the church. This may include things like opening hours, catering & toilet facilities, parking, etc. 

The church is open for worship.
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Church Website

Church Website:

If the church has its own website the details will be displayed here.

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Sources and Further Information

Any further sources of information for the church will be listed here (eg. links to other historic databases).

View information on worship and access at this church on the Church In Wales web site
RCAHMW (2004) Coflein http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/96537/details/ [Digital Archive/Document]
http://www.coflein.gov.uk/
CPAT (2016) Historic Environment Record http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/query/page.php?prn=CPAT281 [Digital Archive/Document]
CPAT (2016) Welsh Historic Churches Survey http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk\projects\longer\churches\radnor\16716.htm [Digital Archive/Document]
http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk/projects/longer/churches/idxall.htm
Paul Baker (2017) Bleddfa Chuch Plan [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
Bleddfa Chuch Plan
Sylvia Richards (2017) St Mary Magdalene, Bleddfa [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
St Mary Magdalene, Bleddfa

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.

Grid Reference: SO 206 684

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Church address

Address
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
St Mary Magdalene Bleddfa KNIGHTON LD7 1PA

Administrative Area

Unitary Authority:

This is the name of the Local Authoirity within which the church is located.

Powys - Powys

Location and Setting

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.

Bleddfa is situated on the old Turnpike road from Penybont to Knighton now the A488 at a point where the road takes a sharp bend. It lies in a deep valley of a tributary of the river Lugg with the heights of Glog Hill to the north and the Radnor Forest to the south.  Knighton is 9km to the north-east and Llandrindod Wells some 15km to the south-west.

References

Route Planner  Directions, traffic and maps  AA

 

Church Plan

Bleddfa Chuch Plan
Caption:

The name/dedication of the church to which the plan refers.

Bleddfa Chuch Plan
Description:

A brief description of the plan. eg. who created it and where it came from.

Year / Date:

The date the plan was created.

2017
Copyright:

The details of any copyright are displayed here.

Trevor Hewett
Originator:

The name of the person who inputted the plan.

Paul Baker

Ground Plan Description and Dimensions

Ground Plan

This is a description of the ground plan of the church.

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Dimensions

If known, the dimensions (measurements) of the church ground plan will be displayed here.

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Footprint of Church buildings (m2):

If the footrprint (area) of the church is known, it will be displayed here.

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Description of Archaeology and History

A description of the history and archaeology of the church and its site.

Tradition has it that Bleffa was fouded by the Irish Saint Brendan in the C6 but there is no evidence to support this claim.  The churchyard is not curvilinear enough to argue convincingy for an early medieval origin.  The ealiest record is in the Taxatio of 1291 but the building evidence suggests that the church predates this time. The western part of the nave is early C13 and it was exended to the west in the late C13.  The tower was reputdly destroyed by Owain Glyndwr's troops before the battle of Pilleth in 1402.  The building was re-roofed in C15 which left the nave and chancel with arch-braced roofs, now the glory of the church (neighbouring churches lost theirs during C19 restoration and a bellcote was added 1711 together with the porch.  The box pews were replaced by benches in 1818 and the earth floor was replaced  'J C Edwards adamantine tiles set in 6" of concrete cement' and the 'aisles of Nave and Vestibule & Porch to be paved with the best of the stone flags now in the Church set in cement.' 

Restoration took place in 1907 by Ernest Collier of Carmarthen which included buttressing to the north and south walls, the replacement of the wooden windows with new ones in stone and the external walls were coated with rough-cast render,   re-exposed roof timbers, windows in lancet and decorated style, new seating and furnishing and re-partitioned Nave, and creating at the west end a Vestibule a Vestry with fireplace and robbing room.

Further repairs took place in 1959, 1960/63 when the tower was excavated by L Butler At the west end of the church there is an entrance through to a former tower, now blocked, and a bellcote sits above  the thick end wall, it also revealed mural steps leading down to narrow doorway with a crude cyclopean head. The east wall of the tower has been incorporated into the present west wall of the church.  .  The remains of the tower, previously earthed over and thought to be a prehistoric mound, were excavated in the 1960's.  The wall stoods to a  height of about 5 feet. and more in 1983.  In 1987 further repairs were carried out by Capps and Capps to the roof timbers when arcade work was introduced as a strengthening device between tie beams and collars of two trusses at the west end.  Redecoration and pointing happened again in 1991 and 1992. when the porch and bellcote were installed and new bell frame (by R Taylor under Michael  Garner architect , Llandrindod Wells).  Further work took place when George Pace, then a leading church architect generously donated his services, drawing up a scheme for re-ordering the church. In 2003  the level of the sanctuary was raised with a wooden platform and recycled flagstones from Methyr Cynog church  were laid throughout the building.

A former priest of C18 Revd Samual Phillips was a man of mordant wit and produced the following epitath for maiden lady of the parish:

'Scorning and scorn'd, she passed her life away,                                                                                                                                                                                An useless lump of animated clay;                                                                                                                                                                                                       Now spite and envy rule her every frame no more,                                                                                                                                                                                 But here she lies - more useless than before.'

Further infrmation about the connection between the church and the Bleddfa Trust can be found at http://www.bleddfacentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bleddfa-history-JRE-copy.pdf

References

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 2005

Roads and Trackways of Wales Richard Moore – Colyer 2001

 

 

Exterior Description

A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.

The church is a low nave with slightly higher and broader eastern extension, gabled south porch, square bellcote with pyramidal roof. Buttressing to eastern side walls by Collier. The east wall of the tower has been incorporated into the present west wall of the church.  It is constructed with grey tabular medium-sized shale at lower levels merging higher up into sandstone and micaceous mudstone with shale and then slabs and blocks of olive-coloured micaceous mudstone.  The nave roof is constructed with stone tiles on the nave, bellcote and porch with slate on the chancel with ceramic ridge tiles and a finial on the porch roof. The walls show evidence of many phases of rebuilding and patching. There are four C13 lancets, the opposing two at the east end of nave and one in the north wall of chancel are of a later date than the slightly flattened one in he south west wall of the nave. All other windows by Collier, viz single lancets and opposing decorated windows in nave and triple lancet in east end. 

References

Cadw Listings Notice

Buildings of Wales – Powys 2013

Church Quinquennial Inspection Reports

CPAT Radnorshire Churches Survey

Architects, Artists and Associated People/Organisations

Information about any noteable architects, artists, people, or events associated with the church.

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Building Fabric and Features

Information about any important features and building fabric.

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Building Materials

If known, a list of the church's major building material/s will be displayed here.

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Interior Image

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Interior Description

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.

This is a typical plain Radnorshire interior but with fine open roof of predominantly C15 date. The west end of the nave is divided by a thin lath and plaster partition, it was once used as a schoolroom; the nave and chancel are undivided. Earlier roof trusses to western portion of nave. Three arched brace trusses with chamfered tie beams and purlins and in one bay two quadruple cusped windbraces. Further to the west is plain tie beams truss with raking struts. There is clearly some re-use of older timber at this end. Later C15 roof over extended portion of nave and chancel of eight bays formed by alternate queen post and arch-braced trusses, the latter all chamfered. Three sets of trenched purlins and two tiers of chamfered quatrefoil windbraces. All the members were clearly at one time painted, fragments of red and white paint survive. The former rood beam tying one of the queen post trusses rests on modern corbels and has painted floral decoration. The paint is interrupted below the queen post and there are slots cut out of the tie beam indicating the position of various fixings for the rood and/or canopy. Major repairs to the roof timbers were carried out in 1987 and arcade work was introduced as a strengthening device between the tie beams and collars of two trusses at the west end. Plain pointed arch entrance from porch, early heavily studded boarded door with very long wrought hinges. Former entrance to tower through triangular headed stone arch. C17 communion rails with scribed detailing and serpentine balusters.  Piscina in north wall of chancel. Re-used Jacobean decorative panelling in pulpit. Oak lectern. Octagonal font of possibly C13 date on new cement base and long plank-built muniments chest. Two bells cast in 1711. cast  by Henry Williams hang in an oak frame renewed in 1988 - used for tolling. Two manual chamber organ  installed 1997. Parish chest  four sided plank built with large hinges. Iron chest mark 'Coalbrookdale'.

All the fittings are made movable (1977) to a scheme by G G Pace to allow the space to be freely used for liturgical experiment, dramatic or choral performances

References

Cadw Listings Notice

Buildings of Wales – Powys 2013

Buildings of Wales – Glamorgan 2001

Church Quinquennial Inspection Reports

CPAT Radnorshire Churches Survey

Internal Fixtures and Fittings

Information about the church's important internal fixtures and fittings. 

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Portable Furnishings and Artworks

Information about the church's important moveable items and artworks.

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Ecology

A description of the ecology of the churchyard.

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Ecological Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

The everyday wildlife of burial grounds means much to those who visit and cherish them but many burial grounds are so rich in wildlife that they should be designated and specially protected. Few have the legal protection of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or, in the case of local authority owned cemeteries, Local Nature Reserve. This makes it even more important that they are cared for and protected by the people looking after them.

Many have a non-statutory designation as a recognition of their importance. These non-statutory designations have a variety of names in different regions including Local Wildlife Site, County Wildlife Site, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation or Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Local Wildlife Site is the most common name). Their selection is based on records of the most important, distinctive and threatened species and habitats within a national, regional and local context. This makes them some of our most valuable wildlife areas.

For example, many burial grounds which are designated as Local Wildlife Sites contain species-rich meadow, rich in wildflowers, native grasses and grassland fungi managed by only occasional mowing plus raking. When this is the case, many animals may be present too, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. This type of grassland was once widespread and has been almost entirely lost from the UK with approximately 3% remaining, so burial grounds with species-rich meadow managed in this way are extremely important for wildlife.

These designations should be considered when planning management or change.

If you think that this or any other burial ground should be designated please contact Caring for God’s Acre (info@cfga.org.uk) to discuss. Many eligible sites have not yet received a designation and can be surveyed and then submitted for consideration.

There are no SSSIs within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

There are no Local nature reserves within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

There are no Local Wildlife sites within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

Evidence of the Presence of Bats

Information about the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.

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Burial and War Grave Information

Records whether the church has been consecrated.

The church/building is consecrated.

Records whether there have been burials in the churchyard.

The churchyard has been used for burial.

Records whether the churchyard is still being used for burials.

The churchyard is used for burial.

Records whether there are any war graves in the churchyard.

The churchyard has war graves.

National Heritage Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

There are no Listed Buildings within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

There are no Scheduled Monuments within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

Churchyards are home to fantastic trees, in particular ancient and veteran trees which can be the oldest indication of a sacred space and be features of extraordinary individuality. The UK holds a globally important population of ancient and veteran yew trees of which three-quarters are found in the churchyards of England and Wales.

There are more than 1,000 ancient and veteran yews aged at least 500 years in these churchyards.

To put this in context, the only other part of western Europe with a known significant yew population is Normandy in northern France, where more than 100 ancient or veteran churchyard yews have been recorded.

Burial grounds may contain veteran and ancient trees of other species such as sweet chestnut or small-leaved lime which, whilst maybe not so old as the yews, are still important for wildlife and may be home to many other species.

Specialist advice is needed when managing these wonderful trees. For more information or to seek advice please contact Caring for God’s Acre, The Ancient Yew Group and The Woodland Trust.

If you know of an ancient or veteran tree in a burial ground that is not listed here please contact Caring for God’s Acre.

There are currently no Ancient, Veteran or Notable trees connected to this Parish Church

Churchyard Structures

Any important churchyard structures will be listed here.

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Significance

Setting Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

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Setting Significance Description:

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.

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Fabric Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

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Fabric Significance Description:

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.

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Interior Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

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Interior Significance Description:

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.

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Community Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

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Community Significance Description:

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. 

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Church Renewables

Any renewable energy systems the church is using will be listed here.

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Species Summary

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

All of the species listed below have been recorded in close proximity to the Parish Church . A few species which are particularly threatened and affected by disturbance may not be listed here because their exact location cannot be shared.

NOTE: Be aware that this dataset is growing, and the species totals may change once the National Biodiversity Network has added further records. Species may be present but not recorded and still await discovery.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.

To learn more about all of the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.

"Seek Advice" Species

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

If any of the following species have been seen close to the Parish Church, it is important to seek advice from an expert. You will need to know if they are present now, and to follow expert recommendations when planning works. All of these species have specific legal protection as a recognition of their rarity. All of them are rare or becoming increasingly endangered, so it is important to ensure that management and other works do not adversely affect them. In addition, there may be things you can do to help these special species. N.B. Swift and House Martin do not have specific legal protection but are included, as roof repair works often impact breeding swifts and house martins which is against the law.

This is not a complete list of protected species, there are many more, but these are ones that are more likely to be found. All wild birds, their nests and eggs are also protected by law, as are all bats and veteran trees. In a few cases, species are considered particularly prone to disturbance or destruction by people, so the exact location of where they were recorded is not publicly available but can be requested. These ‘blurred’ records are included here, and the accuracy is to 1km. This means that the species has been recorded in close proximity to the Parish Church, or a maximum of 1km away from it. As these ‘blurred’ species are quite mobile, there is a strong likelihood that they can occur close to the Parish Church. To learn about these special species, use the link provided for each species in the table below

One important species which is not included here is the Peregrine Falcon. This is protected and advice should be sought if peregrines are nesting on a church or cathedral. Peregrine records are ‘blurred’ to 10km, hence the decision not to include records here. Remember too that species not seriously threatened nationally may still be at risk in your region and be sensitive to works. You should check with local experts about this. You may also need to seek advice about invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and aquatics colonising streams or pools, which can spread in churchyards.

N.B. If a species is not recorded this does not indicate absence. It is always good practice to survey.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre can help and support you in looking after the biodiversity present in this special place. If you know that any of these species occur close to the Parish Church and are not recorded here, please contact Caring for God’s Acre with details (info@cfga.org.uk).

To find out more about these and other species recorded against this Parish Church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas.

Refresh
WhoActionWhen
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Asset AddressWed 10 Apr 2024 13:27:13
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Interior DescriptionMon 03 Jul 2023 10:59:57
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Exterior DescriptionMon 03 Jul 2023 10:58:33
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Archaeology and History DescriptionMon 03 Jul 2023 10:57:53
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Location and Setting DescriptionMon 03 Jul 2023 10:55:50
Paul BakerAdded image of the exterior of the buildingWed 29 Nov 2017 10:11:11
Paul BakerAdded a plan of the buildingWed 31 May 2017 11:11:51
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Interior DescriptionMon 10 Apr 2017 10:04:00
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Exterior DescriptionMon 10 Apr 2017 10:01:08
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Archaeology and History DescriptionMon 10 Apr 2017 09:59:26
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