St Hychan's Church

Heritage listing

Reason for designation: A well preserved church of the single nave Vale of Clwyd type with a fine roof and good C19 restoration. History: The church of St Hychan is first mentioned in 1254. The dedication is to St Hychan, thought to have been related to Brychan Brycheiniog. The present structure is perhaps of the C15, and follows the Vale of Clwyd type in having no exterior differentiation between nave and chancel. It was visited by Glynne in 1864 and drawn by Lloyd-Williams and Underwood in 1872: Glynne noted recent restoration and altered windows to north and east. The church was extensively restored in 1877-8 by Arthur Baker, architect, of Kensington, at a cost of 700 paid for by John Taber of Clwyd Hall. The vestry was added; the roof restored; the north windows were made uniform with that at south-east, and the porch was rebuilt. The poorly reconstructed west doorway arch probably predates this work. A Gothic style south window, dated 1626, was retained. Conventional Decorated tracery appears to have been restored to the east window, together with its stained glass, as a gift of Sir Crosland Graham of Clwyd Hall in 1925. Exterior: The church is in axe-dressed limestone in small courses, without selected larger quoins, with dressings of red or yellow freestone. The roof is of slate with a coped gable at the west only, surmounted by an ashlar bellcote with bell and wheel, coped and with a small cross finial. There is an octagonal roof vent at centre. The vestry at the north-west is in similar materials with a pyramid roof. The porch at the south is timber-framed and has decorative bargeboards. The east window is of the size and shape shown in the pre-restoration drawing of 1872, but the tracery in Decorated style is thought to be an early C20 gift. The east window on

From Cadw under OGL v3.