St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth
St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth | |
---|---|
Saint Mary the Virgin | |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Heritage designation | Grade II* |
Designated | 27 June 1952 |
Architect(s) | |
Specifications | |
Materials | Old Red Sandstone (tower) |
Administration | |
Diocese | Diocese of Monmouth |
Deanery | Newport and Monmouth |
Parish | Monmouth |
Clergy | |
Vicar(s) | Rev. Timothy Dack |
Laity | |
Director of music | Thomas Mottershead |
Churchwarden(s) | Colin Robinson |
St Mary's Priory Church, in
History and architecture
Exterior
The priory church was founded by
The priory was granted to the
The tower, of
The church is the tallest building in Monmouth, with the gilded cockerel weather vane some 205 ft (62 m) above the ground.[9] The cockerel was restored after a lightning strike in 2007 and reinstated following repair to the spire around 2010. It was again restored in 2023 following storm damage.[10][a][11] The church is a Grade II* listed building.[13]
Interior
The interior dates from 1882 and was designed to accommodate 1,000 people, but many pews have now been removed. There are two chapels, but these were later additions. The rood was originally plain wood and has only recently been coloured. Part of the rood screen has been moved to the rear of the church to form a narthex. The Lady Chapel contains an English Altar with four riddel posts each with an unusual brass base and wrought iron capital supporting a newly gilded angel. The screen features the ironwork and woodwork of Letheren and Martin (the latter of whom made the Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons and the pulpit of St Paul's Cathedral).
The interior
The walls of the South aisle display sets of rare medieval tiles. Many were made in Malvern, but recent excavation on Monk Street has uncovered the kiln in which a number of the earlier examples were fired locally.[18] One of the tiles shows the Bohun swan, a swan in chains, the badge of Mary de Bohun, the mother of Henry V who was born in the nearby castle, and another shows the arms of Westminster Abbey.[19]
The fine pipe organ is situated to the left of the chancel and has been recently renovated. The church now hosts a series of organ recitals throughout the summer. The font is of carved Portland stone and green Genoa marble and was installed in the present position in 1982.[15]
The bells
The precise origins of the bells are unknown but earliest records show that in 1673 the church: ".. paid Robert Marshall for staples and locks and keys and the irons for five bells – £1.2.6". The bells were repaired and re-hung during the 1880s rebuilding. In 1953 they were overhauled and rededicated but tuning issues saw further work in 1972 and 1982.[20]
The eight current bells are as follows:
Bell | Diameter (mm) | Weight (kg) | Note |
1 | 710 | 246 | Eb |
2 | 740 | 248 | D |
3 | 800 | 305 | C |
4 | 865 | 357 | Bb |
5 | 950 | 510 | Ab |
6 | 990 | 550 | G |
7 | 1070 | 660 | F |
8 | 1200 | 860 | Eb |
Kelly's Directory of 1901 also mentions ".. a fire bell, recast at the expense of Mr. Job Rees, late captain of the fire brigade."[21] The bell, which originally hung on the outside of the tower, and which was originally cast in 1604, is now on display in the entrance porch to the church.
The graveyard and surroundings
At the eastern end of the churchyard, very near the church, is the gravestone of John Renie, his wife and two sons. Renie was a house painter who died in 1832 at the age of 33. The gravestone was
The churchyard walls, railings, gate piers and gates to the south-east of the church were designated as Grade II* listed buildings on 15 August 1974.[26] The wrought iron churchyard gates date from 1759, and the rusticated stone piers with side arches are from the 1830s.[18]
Remains of the monastic foundation are sited on the adjacent Priory Street, including the Prior's Lodging, with a fine fifteenth century oriel window,[6] often mistakenly thought to have a connection with Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey is believed to have been born in the town around 1100, probably of Breton parents, about the time that the first priory was being built.[27]
In 1851 Monmouth Cemetery was created when Monmouth Council closed St Mary's Churchyard for burials, when decaying human remains started to appear above ground. This was caused by the raised height of the churchyard. Residents in neighbouring Whitecross Street suffered a high mortality rate as a result and unpleasant odours from the churchyard were also evident. [28]
Services
The church is part of the Monmouth Group of Parishes, within the Church in Wales,[29] and holds regular weekly services.[30] The Diocese of Monmouth, the cathedral of which is the Cathedral Church of St Woolos in Newport, is one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales.
Notes
- ^ The cockerel was designed by John Rudge, a metal worker from Ross-on-Wye, and constructed at the Vivian metalworks at Swansea. Another such example is atop the spire of the Church of St Giles, Goodrich.[11][12]
References
- ^ a b Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Historic Landscape Characterisation: Lower Wye Valley. Accessed 11 January 2012
- ISBN 1-904396-57-7, p.377
- ISBN 978-1-84383-255-3. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d Newman 2000, p. 396.
- ^ Kissack 2003, pp. 69–73.
- ^ a b c d e Newman 2000, p. 395.
- ^ Kissack 1975, p. 113.
- ^ St. Mary's Church, Monmouth, People's Collection Wales, accessed 25 January 2012
- ^ "Welcome to the Website of Wye Valley Music". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ Pugh, Desmond (15 July 2023). "St Mary's cockerel gets a makeover". Monmouthshire Beacon. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ a b Were, Chris (27 January 2022). "One man's endeavour to rehome iconic St Mary's cockerel". Monmouthshire Beacon.
- ^ "St Giles Goodrich Heritage Trail" (PDF). Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "From Featherbeds to Bridges": The story of Drybridge House and the Crompton-Roberts family, p.49
- ^ a b "The Monmouth Group of Parishes - The Anglican churches in the Monmouth area". Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ a b Kissack 2003.
- ^ Imaging the Bible in Wales: James Watney Watson. Accessed 13 January 2012
- ^ a b Newman 2000, p. 397.
- ^ a b Monmouth Civic Society, Monmouth Heritage Blue Plaque Trail, n.d., p. 12
- ^ "The Monmouth Group of Parishes - The Anglican churches in the Monmouth area". Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ a b "KELLY'S DIRECTORY OF MONMOUTHSHIRE, 1901". Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Suzanne Donald, BBC South East Wales, Who was John Renie?, 9 March 2006 Archived 6 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 12 January 2012
- ISBN 1-873827-40-7, p. 177
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ National Library of Wales, Welsh Biography Online. Accessed 13 January 2012
- ^ "History of Monmouth Cemetery". Monmouthshire County Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "St Mary's Priory Church" at monmouthparishes.org Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 12 January 2012
- ^ Monmouth Group of Parishes Archived 11 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 12 January 2012
Sources
- Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071053-1.
- ISBN 0-85033-209-5.
- OCLC 55143853.