St Mary's Church

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of the village of Nash. The large church is medieval in origin, with additions and restorations dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The church consists of three parts. It has a three-story 15th-century steeple with an octagonal spire, but provides no access to the body of the church. The nave is 18th-century and the chancel 19th-century. The interior has a complete Georgian ensemble of gallery, box pews and three-decker pulpit.

The only remains of the Norman church is the North Wall of the chancel and the squint or hagioscope. An unusual feature, the squint was used to enable those with leprosy, smallpox or other such diseases, to see or participate in the service without endangering the rest of the congregation with infection. The tower is unusually located on the north side of the chancel. The church is thought to originally have been much larger, incorporating a North aisle.

In the early years of the 20th century the floor of the bellringer's room was used as a temporary mortuary for the bodies of five sailors who had been drowned at sea, in a violent storm, near the East Usk Lighthouse. Four of the sailors had been found lashed to the mast. During World War II the church saw congregations of 400. In the fields to the south of the neighbouring Church Farm are ancient tumuli, the vestiges of some ancient, possibly mediæval, dwelling or chapel.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Saint Mary's Road 47, Newport, United Kingdom

Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom