St Berres' Church, Llanferres
Encyclopedia
St Berres' Church, Llanferres, is in the village of Llanferres
, Denbighshire
, Wales
on the A494 road
between Mold
and Ruthin
. It is an Anglican
church in the benefice of Gwernaffield and Llanferres, the deanery of Mold, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
. The church is a Grade II listed building.
origin. Alterations were made to the church in the 17th century, which are indicated by a datestone of 1650. Some rebuilding took place in 1774, probably under the direction of the Chester
architect Joseph Turner. Another Chester architect, Thomas Jones, added the south transept
, the west tower, and possibly two galleries. A third Chester architect, John Douglas
carried out an internal restoration in 1891–92. This included stripping of the plaster, removal of the galleries, and a new screen. Glass was removed from the east window and inserted into windows at the west end.
with slate roofs and grey ridge tiles. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel in one cell, a south transept, a west tower, and a porch near the northwest angle of the nave. The tower has three stages. In the lowest stage, on the west wall is a doorway, and above this is a two-light window. The second stage has a quatrefoil
window on each face. The top stage consists of an octagonal bellcote with a weathervane
.
has a bowl with quatrefoil
s and is dated 1684. There are two sepulchral
slabs which date from the late 13th century. One of the monuments dates from the late 14th century, and others from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Llanferres
Llanferres is a village and parish in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. At the 2001 Census the population of the village was recorded as 676.- Geography :...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on the A494 road
A494 road
The A494 is an important trunk road in Wales. The road runs between "Drome Corner" at the intersection of the A548 and A550 by RAF Sealand, Queensferry and the A470 at Dolgellau, Gwynedd.-Beginnings:...
between Mold
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
and Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
. It is an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the benefice of Gwernaffield and Llanferres, the deanery of Mold, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.-Geography:The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in the east, to the Conwy valley in the west, to Bala in the south-west, and...
. The church is a Grade II listed building.
History
The earliest documentary evidence to the church is in 1291, although it is possible that it has a medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
origin. Alterations were made to the church in the 17th century, which are indicated by a datestone of 1650. Some rebuilding took place in 1774, probably under the direction of the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
architect Joseph Turner. Another Chester architect, Thomas Jones, added the south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, the west tower, and possibly two galleries. A third Chester architect, John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
carried out an internal restoration in 1891–92. This included stripping of the plaster, removal of the galleries, and a new screen. Glass was removed from the east window and inserted into windows at the west end.
Exterior
The church is built in limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with slate roofs and grey ridge tiles. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel in one cell, a south transept, a west tower, and a porch near the northwest angle of the nave. The tower has three stages. In the lowest stage, on the west wall is a doorway, and above this is a two-light window. The second stage has a quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
window on each face. The top stage consists of an octagonal bellcote with a weathervane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
.
Interior
The fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
has a bowl with quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
s and is dated 1684. There are two sepulchral
Sepulchre
The rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel are a group of hundreds of rock-cut tombs constructed in Israel in ancient times. They were cut into the rock, sometimes with elaborate facades and multiple burial chambers. Some are free-standing, but most are caves. Each tomb typically belonged to a...
slabs which date from the late 13th century. One of the monuments dates from the late 14th century, and others from the 17th and 18th centuries.