St Mary's Church

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet village of Cilcain, Flintshire, on the slopes of the Clwydian Range. Built mainly of local stone, it has a slate roof and a double nave with a tower at the west end. The churchyard is oval, enclosed by low stone walls, and holds the remains of an old cross and a sundial plinth. A lych gate and a small hearse house from about 1810 stand to the east, beside the path that leads to the porch. The church is Grade I listed by Cadw, and its earliest record appears in the Lincoln Taxation of 1291. The south nave and tower date from the 15th century, while the north nave was rebuilt in 1746 after a fire in 1532. In the 1840s Ambrose Poynter oversaw repairs, and later John Douglas restored the building between 1888 and 1889 for William Barber Buddicom. Douglas designed new pews, stalls and screens, and removed earlier galleries and partitions. Inside, the south nave roof shows hammerbeam trusses decorated with angels, shields and secular figures. The east window’s stained glass is said to be from 1546, and Welsh boards of 1809 bear the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. The churchyard also contains monuments dated 1731 and 1832, and the lych gate and hearse house are Grade II listed.