St Mary's Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

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 ...

in the hamlet of

Llanllwch St Mary's Church. Llanllwch is a hamlet in Carmarthenshire, Wales approximately west of Carmarthen. History The name Llanllwch derives from a lake or pool nearby, the site of which is now a tract of boggy land west of Llanllwch known as Llanllw ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, Wales. It was originally a chapel attached to

St Peter's Church, Carmarthen St Peter's Church (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Eglwys San Pedr'') is the Church in Wales parish church for the town of Carmarthen, Wales. Though founded much earlier, the present building dates from at least the 14th century. It is the largest churc ...

, both of which were conferred on the Priory of St. John the Evangelist at Carmarthen in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

. The building has medieval origins and was rebuilt in the early eighteenth century. It is located in the centre of Llanllwch at the street address 1 Manor Way. Edwardes_monuments

The church was originally a medieval building dating back to the 15th century or earlier. It is built from stone rubble and the nave and

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 ...

are partially whitewashed. The north aisle was added later and is built of rock-faced stone in courses with ashlar

quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

and a

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

. The slate roofs overhang the walls at the gables. The short tower is supported by battlements. By 1710 the church was in a state of disrepair and had no roof. It was rebuilt by John Vaughan of Derllys Court. Further repair and restoration took place in 1827–1829 and again in 1869–1870. The church was designated a

Grade II* 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, H ...

-listed building on 19 May 1981, as "a church of medieval origins early fabric. Memorials include one fine early C18 example." 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. ...

curates the archaeological, architectural and historic records for this church. These include a photographic survey and several black and white negatives on glass.

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.8442, N, 4.3446, W, source:wikidata, display=title