History
The origins of the church in St Hilary date back to the late 12th century. It was dedicated to Saint Hilarius, bishop of Poitiers, who lived in the fourth century. Probably, however, it initially was dedicated to a Breton missionary and saint, Ilar or a native saint Elian. Likely the obscurity of these saints led to the recognition of the church’s dedication to the bishop of Poitiers. In the fourteenth century, the church was enlarged by the southern aisle, and in the sixteenth century by the western tower. In 1861-1862, renovation was carried out under the supervision of Sir George Gilbert Scott, during which the windows and roofs were renewed and a porch was built.
Architecture
The church of St. Hilary originally consisted of a rectangular nave and a shorter and lower, also rectangular chancel. Inside, the two parts were separated by a stepped chancel arcade, with simple imposts and a faintly outlined pointed archivolt, characteristic of the emerging Gothic style. Lighting was provided by narrow, semicircular windows. The entrance led from the south, through a portal in the nave of unknown form. The nave and chancel roof were likely covered in the simplest possible form, by an open roof truss.
In the 14th century, an aisle was built to the south of the nave. It was of identical length but topped with a separate gable roof. Inside, the old nave was opened to the aisle by four moulded, pointed arches, supported without capitals on identically moulded pillars. During this period, new windows were introduced into the church walls, still narrow, but topped with ogee arches. More impressive tracery windows may have been located in the gable walls of the chancel and aisle.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, a quadrangular tower was added to the western wall of the nave. It was reinforced at the corners with high, stepped buttresses, supported at the base by a plinth with a moulded cornice, and topped with a battlemented parapet mounted on corbels projecting from the façades. Despite its defensive appearance, the tower’s crowning was purely decorative and representative, following the fashion for such solutions prevalent in the 15th and early 16th centuries. A moulded portal was placed on the western wall of the ground floor, while above the string course, on the top floor were two-light windows with trefoil finials framed by simple hoods.
Current state
Among the elements of today’s church, the porch is an early modern addition, as well as a large part of the windows renewed in the 19th century. A lancet-shaped 14th-century window has survived in the north wall of the chancel. The rood arch separating the nave from the chancel also dates to the earliest period of the church’s existence. Inside the church, Gothic arcades between the nave and aisle, an arcade under the tower, and tombstones of Thomas Basset and a member of the de Cardiff family from the 14th and 15th centuries have survived.
bibliography:
Newman J., The buildings of Wales, Glamorgan, London 1995.
Salter M., The old parish churches of Gwent, Glamorgan & Gower, Malvern 2002.