The Church of the Holy Cross is a medieval church in
Cowbridge
Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff.
The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council.
A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for e ...
in the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol C ...
, south
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 ...
. Initially a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
Often a chapel of ea ...
to
Church of St John the Baptist, Llanblethian
The Church of St John the Baptist is a medieval church in Llanblethian in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. Believed to have been built in the 12th century, the church boasts an unusual tower, consistent with the style more common in the south ...
of Cowbridge as a medieval market town. Believed to have been built in the 13th century, the church has an unusual tower design. It has undergone several restorations including one by
John Prichard
John Prichard (6 May 1817 – 13 October 1886) was a Welsh architect in the neo-Gothic style. As diocesan architect of Llandaff, he was involved in the building or restoration of many churches in south Wales.
Personal history
John Prichard wa ...
in 1850–52. The Church of the Holy Cross was listed as a
Grade I
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 ...
building on 12 May 1963.
History
The church is thought to have been built as part of the construction of the medieval town in Cowbridge during the late 13th century.
Although at first a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
Often a chapel of ea ...
for
Llanblethian
Llanblethian ( cy, Llanfleiddian) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales which sits upon the River Thaw. It makes up part of the community of Cowbridge with Llanblethian, which consists of the village itself, the larger market town of Cow ...
, Holy Cross was built on a large scale. The church was remodeled throughout the medieval period reflecting the growing prosperity of the town.
Its initial build consisted of a tower between a
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
and a wide aisleless
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
. The tower once consisted of a 14th-century spire, but this was destroyed by lightning in 1480.
In the 15th century an
aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...
, known as the south Llanquian aisle, was added to the nave, and a north
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
to the chancel. There is a belief that these additions were gifted by Lady
Anne Neville
Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was Queen of England as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"). Before her marriage to Ric ...
, heiress to the lordship of Glamorgan and wife of
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III of England. Newman states that this is based on "dubious documentary evidence". The first organ at the church was a gift from
Jasper Tudor
Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (November 143121/26 December 1495), was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and a leading architect of his nephew's successful accession to the throne in 1485. He was from the noble Tudor family of Penmynydd i ...
, who made similar gifts to other parish churches.
It was recorded in 1721 that the walls of the tower had decayed timbers and frames. In addition the four bells in the tower were broken and cracked. The town of Cowbridge was desirous of having a set of eight bells instead of the four now possessed by the church. The town's revenues were mortgaged to pay for the re-casting of the four broken church bells and the addition of four new ones. In 1848 a charitable call was made by the church for necessary "re-pewing and re-paving", with a target of £250 requested, much of the money coming from wealthy parishioners. That same year some chancel windows were re-opened and glazed by
Edward Haycock. Between 1850 and 1852 the church underwent a substantial renovation to the sum of £1,800, contracted to
John Prichard
John Prichard (6 May 1817 – 13 October 1886) was a Welsh architect in the neo-Gothic style. As diocesan architect of Llandaff, he was involved in the building or restoration of many churches in south Wales.
Personal history
John Prichard wa ...
of Cardiff.
In 1893 the west gallery was removed and the tower renovated, with further work conducted in both the 1920s and 1930s.
Altar rails
The altar rail (also known as a communion rail or chancel rail) is a low barrier, sometimes ornate and usually made of stone, wood or metal in some combination, delimiting the chancel or the sanctuary and altar in a church, from the nave and oth ...
were added by
George Pace
George Gaze Pace, (31 December 1915 – 23 August 1975) was an English architect who specialised in ecclesiastical works.
He was trained in London, and served in the army, before being appointed as surveyor to a number of cathedrals. M ...
in 1965.
The church was listed as a
Grade I
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 ...
building on 12 May 1963, cited as being a "medieval church on key site in historic town centre", and having a "group value with surrounding listed buildings".
Architecture
The church is built of coursed local
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
along with local white
Sutton stone
Sutton stone is a geologic formation located only in South Wales. Sutton stone consists of white, conglomeratic limestones with pebbles of black chert (silica) and carboniferous limestones, laid down in early Jurassic times. It was named by geolog ...
dressings.
One of the more striking features of the church is the tower. The tower has a
corbel
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
led wall head from which angle broaches slope up to an octagonal
battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
ed top section. Although it has been argued that the original purpose of the tower was to be a
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
or stronghold in case the town was attacked,
Newman argues that the lack of
arrow loops rules out its purpose as a defensive fortification. To the tower's northeast is stair turret and to the south side a
buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
ing mass.
The interior of the tower houses arches on the east and west sides, both part of the original 13th century design. In the chancel the only original feature is the
piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman ...
of Sutton stone. There are
piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
in the English West Country style, which are described as being crude, with awkward fitting between the piers and arches. There are two hatches in the east wall, assumed for the dispensing of
alms
Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...
, which Newman describes as 'a most unusual feature'.
The
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
is a plain octagonal bowl which tapers down to a roll moulding, it is believed to be 14th century. The
stained glass window
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
s of the eastern side of the chancel depict the life of Christ (1868). The south chancel windows depicts Biblical stories of instruction to commemorate one of the headmasters of
Cowbridge Grammar School
Cowbridge Grammar School was one of the best-known schools in Wales until its closure in 1974. It was replaced by Cowbridge Comprehensive School.
Founded in the 17th century by Sir John Stradling and refounded by Sir Leoline Jenkins, it had c ...
.
Notes
Footnotes
Primary sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowbridge, Holy Cross
Grade I listed churches in the Vale of Glamorgan
Church in Wales church buildings
13th-century church buildings in Wales
Buildings and structures in Cowbridge
John Prichard buildings