St Llonio's Church

Heritage listing

Reason for designation: Included as a church with an important regional history, with some medieval fabric, and sensitively restored by the eminent architect, G.E.Street. History: An important C7 foundation dedicated to the little known early C6 Breton saint, Lagneia Lawhir. It is one of the seven clas churches of Powys, and the mother church for Llanidloes and Llanwnnog. It received favoured status at the Norman conquest, and uniquely retained its clas abbot up to the late C13. The church, which had a double nave in the Powys tradition with a 4-bay timber arcade supporting a large single span roof, hipped at the end, was extensively restored by G.E.Street in 1865. He was able to retain only the N wall of the chancel and the tower. The restored church seated 326, with a further 70 seats financed by the Incorporated Society for Buildings and Churches. Exterior: The medieval work is of mixed uncoursed rubble with red sandstone dressings (said to come from the Roman fort of Caersws - Haslam); the C19 work is of greywacke rubble with limestone dressings, and slate roofs with crested clayware ridges and gable crosses. The building consists of a short undifferentiated chancel, and organ chamber and vestry at the E end of the S nave. A C19 porch leads to the medieval hollow chamfered C14 arch in the tower. C19 2-light windows with varied tracery, and 3-light square headed windows with trefoil tracery on the N side, reflecting the pre-restoration windows. The sturdy tower has a slightly projecting stair on the NW corner, with a small medieval light. The upper stage was rebuilt, replacing the low timber framed top, characteristic of eastern Powys, with a higher weatherboarded stage and pyramidal roof. Interior: Within the tower, the inner arch of the door is C13, with a tall arr

From Cadw under OGL v3.