St James's Church, Wyesham, Monmouthshire

Description

Denomination: Anglican

Dedication: St James

Built: 1873-75 (tower in 1890)

Photograph: Steve Veysey
Date: 1 October 2009
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX110 IS digital

Note 1: St James's church is located on the south-west side of Wyesham Road at its junction with Wyesham Avenue, in a large churchyard used as a cemetery. It was built in Decorated Gothic style in 1873-5 to designs of architect J. P. Seddon of Llandaff. The tower was completed in 1890 but since then there has been very little alteration of the building.
The church is built of purple snecked red sandstone with buff Forest of Dean stone dressings, walls battered below string course, and with steeply-pitched Welsh slate roofs. It comprises aisleless nave, chancel, vestry with hipped roof, and narrow three-stage saddle-back porch tower on the north-west. Inside boarded arched roofs, with iron tie-bars in the nave. Walls are rendered and the floors tiled. Fittings include a plain octagonal font (fifteenth century, from Rockfield church), octagonal pulpit on a stem (? by Seddon), and a heavy alabaster reredos – a later insertion. Stained glass includes works by Cox & Co (1875 & 1882), Comper (1906), and A. J. Davies (1926). [Source: Coflein database of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (accessed 10 Jan 2016)]

Note 2: The chancel presents its three-lightGeometrical window towards the road. Most dramatic is the sheer, saddleback north porch-tower. The interior is straighforward and well integrated. [Source: The Buildings of Wales: Gwent / Monmouthshire, by John Newman, Yale University Press, New Haven and London; 2002]

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/churches/wyesham1.htm (link opens in new window)