The Church of St Nicholas, Trellech,

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...

is a parish church with its origins in the 14th century. The historical and architectural evidence suggests that it was constructed largely in a single building period c.1300. The style is

Decorated Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

. The church was extended and repaired in the 18th century, and underwent two major reconstructions in 1893 and 1992. An "exceptionally fine and well preserved medieval church", it is a

Grade I listed building 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 ...

. It remains an active parish church in the parish of Trellech and Penallt.

History

The structural, and historical evidence suggests that the church was built in a single period at the start of the 14th century. The writer Simon Jenkins suggests the building was a re-building, following a fire in 1296 which destroyed the original church. The priest's door near the porch appears somewhat earlier than 1300, but the architectural historian John Newman suggests that this "cannot be taken as evidence of Norman fabric". The tower may be of the same period, or somewhat later. It has certainly been rebuilt subsequently, records suggesting it collapsed in a storm. The

weathercock A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

is dated 1792. The church was extensively restored in 1893 and again in 1992. It remains an active parish church dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

Architecture and description

The architectural historian John Newman describes St Nicholas's as "one of the finest churches in the county". The church is constructed of

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

. Simon Jenkins notes that the stone is "so coated in lichen as to seem almost

leprous Leprous is a Norwegian rock band from Notodden, formed in 2001. The group was founded by singer and keyboardist Einar Solberg and guitarist Tor Oddmund Suhrke. After releasing several demos with relatively unstable lineups, the band released th ...

. The church comprises a, two-aisle, nave, a chancel, a porch and the west tower. The tower is topped with a spire, rising "from behind a

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 interv ...

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

". Jenkins suggests that the interior is "handsome but curiously cold"; it was plastered and painted, and a new floor laid, in the 1992 restoration. The arrangement of the altar rails is "a remarkable survival", following a "Laudian" plan. The church contains a Royal Coat of Arms of Charles II, dated 1683, and a 17th-century sundial, which originally stood in the open air near to the village school and was moved into the church in 1895. Donated by Lady Probert, of

The Argoed, Penallt The Argoed, Penallt, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a Victorian country house dating from the 1860s, with earlier origins from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It is a Grade II* listed building and the garden is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register ...

, and dated 1689, it shows three of the main attractions of Trellech; Tump Terret, with the inscriptions MAGNA MOLE ("Great in its Mound") and O QUOT HIC SEPULTI ("Oh! How many are buried here"); Harold's Stones with the inscriptions MAIOR SAXIS ("Greater in its Stones") and HIC FUIT VICTOR HARALDUS ("Here Harold was victorious"); and the Virtuous Well, with the inscription MAXIMA FONTE ("Greatest in its Well"). The church is a

, its Cadw report describing it as "an exceptionally fine and well preserved medieval church".

Notes

References

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External links

{{Commons category
The Parish of Trellech and Penallt website
Trellach, Saint Nicholas Trellach, Saint Nicholas Trellach, Saint Nicholas Trellach, Saint Nicholas