All Saints' Church, in Cellan is a

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

parish church. Cellan is northeast of

Lampeter Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The church is a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed building with part of it dating back to the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. It belongs to the United Benefice of Lampeter.

History

All Saints' Church was built during the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries, possibly on top of a Bronze Age barrow, and is thought to have originally been dedicated to

Saint Callwen Saint Callwen was an early Welsh Christian saint from the Brychan family. There is some doubt about whether she existed. A church was dedicated to her in Defynnog, Brecknockshire. Life Saint Callwen was a member of the Brychan family of Wales wh ...

. Another of its medieval features is its square-bowled font. The building has been subjected to minor changes throughout history, including several restorations. Its roof, once thatched, was replaced by slate in the seventeenth century. The presence of a medieval rood loft was recorded in 1810, but has since been removed - perhaps during the Victorian restoration of 1861–62.

Description

The church is constructed of rubble stone and has a slate roof. It consists of a nave and chancel, both thought to date to the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries, a west bellcote by Herbert Luck North, a north vestry and south porch. Its interior has been described as "the only significant

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

work in the county f Ceredigion" The ceilings - dating to North's restoration of 1908 - are boarded and painted white, and decorated with flowers and vines, with a symbolic lamb painted on the chancel ceiling.{{Cite web, url=https://coflein.gov.uk/en/archive/6377514/details/504, title=Herbert L. North Publication Collection {{! Coflein, website=coflein.gov.uk, access-date=2020-03-25

Heritage Funding

All Saints' Church received a

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

grant in 2018 in order to fund essential repairs to the building.

References

Church in Wales Church in Wales church buildings Arts and Crafts movement Ceredigion