St Mary's Church, Derwen
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Derwen, is a redundant church
in the centre of the village of Derwen
, Denbighshire
, Wales. It has been designated by Cadw
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches
.
period are the east window, the roof and the rood screen
. The bellcote is dated 1688. The church was restored in 1857 by Henry Kennedy at a cost of about £750 (£ as of ); the restoration included removal of the west gallery. Encaustic tile
s were laid in the sanctuary
in 1907. The church was closed for worship in 1998–99, and was taken into the care of the charity
, the Friends of Friendless Churches, in 2000–01. The charity holds a lease
for 999 years with effect from 1 December 2002.
, the porch is in shale
, and the roof is of slate
with a tile ridge. Its plan consists of a nave
and chancel
without any external distinction, a south porch, and a short north transept
that was initially the stairway leading to the loft of the rood screen, and used later as a chimney. At the west end is a bellcote with a weathervane. On the gable
s to the north and east are crosses acting as finial
s, and supporting the west wall is a large buttress
. The east window has five wide lights and is Perpendicular in style. In the south wall of the chancel is a three-light window and in the north wall is a small two-light window. All the other windows date from the 19th century. The single bell is dated 1751.
is dated 1665. The rest of the furniture dates from the 19th century. This includes a large, carved, octagonal pulpit
, an oak altar, and an octagonal font
. The stained glass in the south chancel window was designed by H. E. Wooldridge
and made by James Powell and Sons
; it is dated 1869 and depicts the Nativity
, the Resurrection
and the Ascension.
with a sculptured head. On the north and south sides of the head are single niches
, and on the east and west sides are double niches. They all have ogee
canopies
and contain images which are weathered. The cross is listed Grade II* and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
. Also in the churchyard is a sundial
dating from the 18th or 19th century. The sundial is in bronze, has retained its gnomon
, and stands on a limestone
pillar. It is listed at Grade II.
On the west side of the churchyard is a building known as Church House. This dates from the 17th century or earlier. It has two storeys, with large openings to the north and south in the ground floor, now walled up. It is likely that this was a hearse house or a lych gate
. The upper storey is approached by external stairs, and was originally a parish room or a vestry
. It was restored and re-roofed in 1905, and is listed at Grade II.
and loft and otherwise retaining much of its mediaeval
character". The architectural historian Edward Hubbard
states "the church indeed enjoys the rare good fortune of having a rood screen which retains its loft". Of the churchyard cross, the Royal Commission
in 1914 described it as "a monument especially worthy of preservation", and the Cadw listing describes it as "a fine example of late pre-Reformation stonecarving".
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in the centre of the village of Derwen
Derwen
Derwen is a rural village in the south of Denbighshire, Wales. It lies approximately half way between Corwen and Ruthin, in the upper part of Dyffryn Clwyd ond the north side of the River Clwyd, opposite the village of Brynsaithmarchog....
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, Wales. It has been designated by Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches is a registered charity active in England and Wales. It campaigns for and rescues redundant historic churches threatened by demolition, decay, or inappropriate conversion. To that end, as of August 2010, it owns 43 former churches or chapels, 23 of which...
.
History
The structure of the present church is thought to originate from the 13th century, although because the churchyard is round in shape, it is likely that there had been an earlier church on the site. Additions and modifications were made during the following centuries. Dating from the pre-ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
period are the east window, the roof and the rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
. The bellcote is dated 1688. The church was restored in 1857 by Henry Kennedy at a cost of about £750 (£ as of ); the restoration included removal of the west gallery. Encaustic tile
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as...
s were laid in the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
in 1907. The church was closed for worship in 1998–99, and was taken into the care of the charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, the Friends of Friendless Churches, in 2000–01. The charity holds a lease
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
for 999 years with effect from 1 December 2002.
Structure
The body of the church is constructed in local gritstoneGritstone
Gritstone or Grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for paper and for grindstones to sharpen blades. "Grit" is...
, the porch is in shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, and the roof is of slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
with a tile ridge. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
without any external distinction, a south porch, and a short north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
that was initially the stairway leading to the loft of the rood screen, and used later as a chimney. At the west end is a bellcote with a weathervane. On the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s to the north and east are crosses acting as finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s, and supporting the west wall is a large buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
. The east window has five wide lights and is Perpendicular in style. In the south wall of the chancel is a three-light window and in the north wall is a small two-light window. All the other windows date from the 19th century. The single bell is dated 1751.
Fittings and furniture
The floor of the nave is flagged, the chancel has a wood-block floor, and the sanctuary has encaustic tiles. The outstanding feature of the interior is the rood screen which has retained its loft. It is finely carved with Perpendicular features. The fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is dated 1665. The rest of the furniture dates from the 19th century. This includes a large, carved, octagonal pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, an oak altar, and an octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
. The stained glass in the south chancel window was designed by H. E. Wooldridge
Harry Ellis Wooldridge
Harry Ellis Wooldridge was an English musical antiquary, artist and Professor of Fine Arts. His music collections included transcripts of 17th and 18th century Italian music....
and made by James Powell and Sons
James Powell and Sons
The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers...
; it is dated 1869 and depicts the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, the Resurrection
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
and the Ascension.
Associated structures
In the churchyard is a Gothic-style pre-Reformation cross. It consists of an oblong shaft standing on a plain pedestalPedestal
Pedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
with a sculptured head. On the north and south sides of the head are single niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
, and on the east and west sides are double niches. They all have ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
canopies
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
and contain images which are weathered. The cross is listed Grade II* and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
. Also in the churchyard is a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dating from the 18th or 19th century. The sundial is in bronze, has retained its gnomon
Gnomon
The gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. Gnomon is an ancient Greek word meaning "indicator", "one who discerns," or "that which reveals."It has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields....
, and stands on a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
pillar. It is listed at Grade II.
On the west side of the churchyard is a building known as Church House. This dates from the 17th century or earlier. It has two storeys, with large openings to the north and south in the ground floor, now walled up. It is likely that this was a hearse house or a lych gate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
. The upper storey is approached by external stairs, and was originally a parish room or a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. It was restored and re-roofed in 1905, and is listed at Grade II.
Critique
The church is listed by Cadw at Grade I because of its "possessing an exceptionally complete rood screenRood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
and loft and otherwise retaining much of its mediaeval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
character". The architectural historian Edward Hubbard
Edward Hubbard
Edward Horton Hubbard was an English architectural historian who worked with Nikolaus Pevsner in compiling volumes of the Buildings of England...
states "the church indeed enjoys the rare good fortune of having a rood screen which retains its loft". Of the churchyard cross, the Royal Commission
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is a Welsh Government sponsored body based in Aberystwyth, Wales. It was founded in August 1908...
in 1914 described it as "a monument especially worthy of preservation", and the Cadw listing describes it as "a fine example of late pre-Reformation stonecarving".