St Mary's Church (Derwen)
Coordinates: 53 ° 2 ′ 43.8 " N , 3 ° 23 ′ 17.5" W.
St Mary's Church is a disused church in the center of the village of Derwen in Denbighshire , Wales . It was developed by Cadw in Grade I as Listed Building classified, and is supported by the Friends of Friendless Churches entertained.
history
The structure that stands today is believed to date from the 13th century, although the round shape of the churchyard makes it likely that there was an earlier structure on the site. In the following centuries additions and changes were made to the building. The east window, the roof and the rood screen date from before the Reformation . The crate for the bell is dated to 1688. The church was renovated in 1857 by Henry Kennedy at a cost of £ 750 (today's prices: £ 70,000). The gallery in the west was removed. Encaustic tiles were laid in the sanctuary of the church in 1907. The church was closed to the faithful in 1998/1999 and two years later it was taken over by the non-profit organization Friends of Friendless Churches , which also became the owner of the property.
architecture
Building
The church itself is built of local coarse sandstone , the porch is made of clay slate and the roof is made of slate with a roof ridge made of bricks. The floor plan consists of a nave and chancel without distinction on the outside, a southern porch and a short transept to the north, which was originally the staircase to the loft of the rood screen; it was later used as a fireplace. At the western end there is a bell shed on the roof with a weather vane , on the gables in the north and east there are crosses that serve as gable tips. The western wall is reinforced by a large buttress . The Eastern Perpendicular Style Window has five wide openings. In the wall south of the sanctuary there is a window with three openings and in the north wall there is a window with two small openings. All of these other windows date from the 19th century.
Interior and furnishing
The floor of the nave is paved with stones, the floor of the chancel is made of wooden planks and encaustic tiles were laid in the sanctuary at the beginning of the 20th century. The outstanding feature of the interior is the rood screen, the mezzanine of which has been preserved. It is carefully carved with late Gothic motifs. The rest of the furniture is from the 19th century. This includes a large, carved, octagonal pulpit , an oak altar and an octagonal baptismal font . The stained glass of the south window in the chancel was designed by Harry Ellis Wooldridge and made by James Powell and Sons ; it dates from 1869 and depicts the birth of Jesus Christ , the resurrection and the ascension to heaven .
Associated structures
In the churchyard there is an English Gothic cross from before the Reformation. It consists of a rectangular shaft on a simple base with a head sculpture. On the north and south sides of the head there are individual rows of niches, to the east and west these niches are double. They all have ogee - hoods and include images that have become weathered. The cross is classified as Grade II * and it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument . There is also a sundial from the 18th or 19th century in the churchyard . It is made of bronze, stands on a limestone pillar , and the shadow pointer has been preserved. The sundial is registered in grade II .
On the west side of the churchyard is a building called the Church House . This originated in the 17th century or earlier. It has two floors and once large openings to the north and south on the ground floor, which are now walled up. It is likely that it was a morgue or a churchyard gate. An outside staircase leads to the upper floor. This is originally a sacristy or a parish office. It was restored in 1905 and given a new roof and is classified as Grade II .
meaning
The church was rated I by Cadw because it "has an exceptionally complete rood screen with a loft and has also preserved much of its medieval character". Architectural historian Edward Hubbard attested that "the church is in fact fortunate enough to have a rood screen with a loft that has been preserved."
The Royal Commission wrote about the cross in the churchyard in 1914 that it was “a monument that is particularly worth preserving”, Cadw describes it as “a fine example of the late stone carving art before the Reformation”.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e St Mary's Church, Derwen ( English ) Historic Wales ( Cadw ). Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ↑ a b Derwen St Mary ( English ) Friends of Friendless Churches . Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Derwen: Church History ( English ) GENUKI . Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Churches and chapels owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches: Details for Visitors . Friends of Friendless Churches, London June 2010.
- ↑ a b Cross in churchyard of St Mary's Church, Derwen ( English ) Historic Wales ( Cadw ). Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ^ Sundial in churchyard of St Mary's Church, Derwen ( English ) Historic Wales ( Cadw ). Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Church House, Derwen ( English ) Historic Wales ( Cadw ). Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Edward Hubbard : The Buildings of Wales: Clwyd ( English ). Penguin , London 1986, ISBN 0-14-071052-3 , pp. 155-156.
