St Basil's Church stands in the village of

Bassaleg Bassaleg () is a village on the west side of Newport, Wales, Newport, Wales. It is in the Graig, Newport, Graig electoral ward and Community (Wales), community. Bassaleg is located northwest of Newport city centre. It is bounded by the A467 road ...

, to the west of the city of Newport, Wales. An active

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, it is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...

dates the church to the 14th century, although it stands on the site of an earlier priory. The church was restored between 1878 and 1879 by

Habershon and Fawckner Habershon & Fawckner or Habershon, Pite & Fawckner was a British architectural practice active in England and Wales from the 1860s, particularly in Cardiff and the South Wales area. They had had offices in London, Cardiff and Newport, Wales, New ...

and renovated in 190203 by Charles Busteed Fowler. Since the very early 19th century a chapel within the church had been used as

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

by the Morgan family, prominent local landowners whose

Tredegar House Tredegar House (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Tŷ Tredegar'') is a 17th-century Charles II of England, Charles II-era mansion in Coedkernew, on the southwestern edge of Newport, Wales. For over five hundred years it was home to the Morgan family, late ...

estate lies just to the south. This chapel was rebuilt in 1916 by W. D. Caröe for Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar. St Basil's is an active

within the Tredegar Park Ministry Area which covers an area at the west of the city of Newport. It hosts a thriving community choir. A church hall was constructed in the early 21st century.

Architecture and description

St Basil's is constructed of stone with a slate roof. The church comprises a

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 ...

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, porch, an "unusually large" west tower, and the Morgan family chapel to the northeast. The

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; ; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectural and historic environment of Wales. ...

notes the "particularly fine" Morgan monuments dating from 1806 onwards. Works include memorials to Maria Morgan by Richard Westmacott, to

Sir Charles Morgan, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Gould Morgan, 1st Baronet (25 April 1726 – 7 December 1806) was an English Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces, Judge Advocate-General. From his birth until 1792 he was known as Charles Gould. Life The elder son of King Gou ...

by Coade & Sealy in their patented

Coade stone Coade stone or ''Lithodipyra'' or ''Lithodipra'' () is stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding neoclassical architecture, neoclassical statues, a ...

, and to Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet by John Evan Thomas. The church also has

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

by Kempe & Co. St Basil's is a

. The

lychgate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...

has its own Grade II listing.

Gallery

Bassaleg Church (geograph 1938378).jpg, St Basil's from the south Lychgate St Basil’s Bassaleg Newport Wales.jpg,

Lychgate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...

Morgan family burial plot, St Basil's churchyard - geograph.org.uk - 1038078.jpg, Morgan family burial plot The Parish Church of St Basil the Great, Bassaleg - geograph.org.uk - 1038083.jpg, Church entrance

Notes

References

Sources

* {{City of Newport Church in Wales church buildings in Newport Grade II* listed churches in Newport, Wales Landmarks in Newport, Wales Buildings by W. D. Caröe