Church Of St Donat

St Donat’s Church stands in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales, a Grade I listed building with roots in the 12th century. It began as a small church with a rounded chancel and grew over centuries, adding a tower in the early 14th century and the Stradling Chapel later that same century. The chancel was rebuilt in the 15th century and the nave in the 16th, while the tower was reconstructed in 1907 after earlier restorations. The church holds strong ties to the Stradling family, whose castle overlooks it, and to the Hancorne family, including rector Thomas Hancorne from 1674 to 1707. The building shows five distinct stages of growth in its architecture. The 12th-century chancel arch remains plain and round-headed, while the tower arch dates from the early 14th century. The 15th-century work includes a piscina with a cusped ogee hood, corbelled parapets with gargoyles, and a north porch. The font is circular with patterned sides, and a medieval wooden lectern was added in 1913. The eastern window features stained glass of Saint Donat, believed to be by Clayton and Bell. Inside, the Stradling Chapel holds painted portraits of the family from 1590, though the originals were stolen in 1991 and replaced by copies. The chapel also contains tombs of Sir Edward Stradling and Sir Thomas Stradling. Outside, the churchyard includes a 15th-century preaching cross on a stepped plinth and a memorial cross to Mary Anne Nicholl-Carne. The surrounding walls and railings mix 17th- and 19th-century features, adding to the site’s layered history.