CPAT Regional Historic Environment Record
The following information is from the on-line database 'Archwilio'.
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Corwen Church (St Mael and St Sulien), church

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 105907
Trust : Clwyd Powys
Community : Corwen
Unitary authority : Denbighshire
NGR : SJ0788943412
Site Type (preferred type first) : MEDIEVAL CHURCH
Status : listed building II*

Summary :
Listed church.

Description :
The earliest reference to a church here occurs in 1222. The nave and chancel appear to be the earliest parts of the fabric, and are probably C13. Transepts were probably added later (a S transept was subsequently demolished), and the present tower is probably also secondary, though it may have replaced an earlier tower, perhaps in the C14. There is evidence that the nave itself was built in 2 phases, as there is a clear straight-joint immediately E of the porch. The church underwent major restoration in 1777, when new windows were installed, a plaster ceiling inserted, the N porch added and the N transept repaired. A further restoration took place in 1871, with Benjamin Ferrey as architect and W.E.Samuel of Wrexham, builder. The S transept was removed and the S aisle added; the chancel was repaired and the early lancet windows in the E wall which had previously been blocked were re-opened; the other windows were all replaced. The early roof was exposed and repaired. A plaque in the porch records that this work of enlargement and improvement was carried out with the aid of a grant from the Incorporated Society for Building and Churches. The vestry to the S of the tower was added in 1898, and the tower was restored in 1907 (Cadw, 2016).

At the time of the 1291 taxation this was a portionary church (Thomas 1911, 144)
(CPAT, Early Ecclesiastical Settlement project).

Watching brief over work in two areas within the church carried out by Bob Silvester on 12th February 2008 (Silvester 2016).

Sources :
Cadw , 2000 , Database of Listed Buildings in Wales
Cadw , 2016 , Database of Listed Buildings in Wales ( © Cadw)
Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust , 2003 , CPAT Project Archive - 930
Glynne, S R , 1884 , Notes on the older churches in the four Welsh dioceses , Archaeologia Cambrensis : 1 : 81-104,169-
Silvester, B & Hankinson, R , 2002 , Early Medieval Ecclesiastical and Burial Sites in Mid and North-east Wales: An Interim Report ( © Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust)
Silvester, B & Hankinson, R , 2003 , Early Medieval Ecclesiastical and Burial Sites in Mid and North-east Wales: The Second Report ( © Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust)
Silvester, R J , 2004 , Early Medieval Ecclesiastical and Burial Sites in Mid and North-East Wales. The Field Assessment and its Impact on the Overall Study ( © Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust)
The Handley Partnership , 2014ff , HAAbase built heritage assessment system: Buildings at Risk database
Webb, Valmai , 1987 , The Story of Corwen Church and Churchyard , Clwyd Historian/Hanes Bro Clwyd : 19 : 14-24
`Notes on the older churches in the four Welsh dioceses`, Archaeologia Cambrensis, 1884, 5th series, Vol. I. The Builder, (Vernon Hughes index) 27/4/72, p.324; G.M. Griffiths, `A Report of the Deanery of Penllyn and Edeirinion by the Rev. John Wynne,
1730`, Merioneth Historical and Record Society, 1955, pp.34-39;
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, An Inventory of the County of Merioneth, 1921, pp.18-19; D.R.Thomas, History of the Diocese of Saint Asaph, 1911, Vol.II, p.144;
Valmai Webb, `The Story of Corwen Church and Churchyard`, Clwyd Historian, September 1987, pp14-20.

Events :
142231 : Corwen Church, watching brief 2008 (year : 2008)

Related records
CPAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 72143
Handley Partnership: HAA Buildings at Risk Database 666_1 http://haabase.com/buildingdetails.php/?BARURN2=666_1

Compiled date : 31-12-1995


Images :



Archaeological data, from the Historic Environment Record, supplied by The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust in partnership with Local Authorities, Cadw and the partners of ENDEX © CPAT, 2025 (and in part © Crown, 2025). It is intended to be used for private research only and is not for use as part of commercial projects. If you wish to use this information for publication in printed or multimedia form or to compile resources for commercial use, prior permission must be obtained in writing. Use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of access to HER data published on CPAT's website. Please contact the HER if you have any further questions regarding this information. Please quote the Primary Reference Numbers (PRNs) in any correspondence.

April 3, 2025, 2:10 pm - File produced for Archwilio from CPAT's Regional HER.
Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, The Offices, Coed y Dinas, Welshpool, Powys, SY21 8RP
tel (01938) 553670, email her@cpat.org.uk, website www.cpat.org.uk

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