St Mary's Church, Tregare Explained

Church of St Mary, Tregare, Monmouthshire
Pushpin Map:Wales Monmouthshire
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Map Caption:Location in Monmouthshire
Location:Tregare, Monmouthshire
Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.7874°N -2.8443°W
Denomination:Anglican
Website:http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/places/churches/?id=5087
Status:Parish church
Functional Status:Active
Heritage Designation:Grade II*
Designated Date:27 September 2001
Architectural Type:Church
Parish:Rockfield with St Maughans and Llangattock-vibon-Avel with Llanfihangel-ystern-Llewern with Dingestow with Llangovan and Penyclawdd with Tregaer with Cwmcarvan
Diocese:Monmouth

The Church of St Mary at Tregare, Monmouthshire, south east Wales, is the parish church of the village of Tregare. Dating originally from the fourteenth century, the tower is later, probably of the fifteenth century. The church was restored in the early twentieth century. Built in the Decorated style, the church is a Grade II* listed building.

History and architecture

The Monmouthshire antiquarian Sir Joseph Bradney records the gift of the advowson of Tregare from "John de Hastings to the see of Llandaff" in 1285. The present church dates from the 14th century, the style a mixture of Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular. The church is built of sandstone rubble, with slate roofs. It comprises a small nave, an "unusual" South porch, a chancel and a West tower, of slightly later date than the church. The tower, with a pyramid roof and cockerel weathervane, is a notable feature. The church was restored by the Cardiff-based architect G.E.Halliday[1] in 1900.

The interior contains an original font, decorated with hearts enclosing IHS symbols, described by the architectural historian John Newman as "a most remarkable 15th century conceit." The church's Grade II* listing entry describes it as "a small medieval country church of simple architectural character".

References

. Joseph Bradney . A History of Monmouthshire: The Hundred of Raglan, Volume 2 Part 1 . 1992 . Academy Books . 1-873361-15-7 .

. John Newman (architectural historian) . The Buildings of Wales. Gwent/Monmouthshire. 2000. Penguin. 0-14-071053-1.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: G. E. Halliday. (1858-1922) : Stained Glass in Wales . Stainedglass.llgc.org.uk . 28 December 2016.