St Mary Church - Bell Tower - Begelly, Pembrokeshire, Wales. - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

This ancient Norman church dates from The 13th Century. St Mary's Parish Church, Begelly, is a Church in Wales denomination in the Dioceses of St Davids.

The Bell is rung to call to service, it was usual to toll the church bell on the death of a church member & also to ring out the old year and ring in the new.

The 13th Century Church has only the mediaeval tower & the walls surviving. All the remainder was restored in 1886. Located in Begelly, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.

A stained glass window dated 1887 titled "The Risen Christ Appearing to the Virgin Mary" The artwork is featured on the East wall of the chancel.

From the British Listed Buildings Website:
"An extensive restoration was carried out in 1886 under the Rev. Frederick Ball. The architect was E M Bruce Vaughan of Cardiff. The church was said to be in very bad repair. Services were held in the Rectory barn during the work. The roofs were rebuilt throughout. The nave roof was restored to the level of an earlier roof indicated by marks on the tower. The doors and windows were entirely reconstructed. The old S porch was already in use as a vestry, and its outer archway blocked. It was a request of the Bishop that the original stones of the archway jambs should be retained and a small window placed in the blocking of the opening. Corbels indicating the positions of former roof trusses were preserved and also the corbels and stairs of the rood.

Several perhaps C15 stray carved stones of the mediaeval church survived and are now displayed on the shelves of the windows. One is a mullion fragment, others carry six-petal flower motifs." Text Source: (visit link)

"The 13th Century church is one of Pembrokeshire’s hidden gems, yet with Pembrokeshire's tallest church tower – it’s not that well hidden!

The church is a Grade 2 listed building and is a focal point of the community greeting hundreds of thousands of tourists
at the gateway to Pembrokeshire every year.

St Mary's Church was originally dedicated to St Bugail, which in Welsh means "Shepherd" and
this may have been the origin of the name.

The crenelated tower provides a striking landmark and at 71 feet high, with 3 storeys, houses a bell made in 1760 by Bayley in Bridgewater and
is the tallest tower in the county.

The bell bears the inscription "My sound is good, my shape is neat. 'Twas Bayley made me so complete" 1760.

Amongst the features of the church are the medieval font, a holy water stoup and the chancel arch “apparently Norman – built of local stone”." Information Source: (visit link) & (visit link)

Address of Tower: St Marys Church, Begelly, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 1 Relevant website?: [Web Link] Rate tower: Tours or visits allowed in tower?: No

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Date Logged Log   10/23/2016 veritas vita visited it