Church of St Rhwydrys

Church of St Rhwydrys

A simple rural church of largely early medieval date with some Perpendicular detailing. It comprises a short nave with a western bellcote and a long chancel that steps down, with a north chapel attached.

The building is constructed of local rubble masonry with freestone dressings and has a modern slate roof with wide stone coping. The western gable houses a bellcote.

The nave contains two bays. Entry is through a narrow round-headed 12th-century doorway positioned to the southwest, featuring a rough voussoir arch above an advanced springing course. A small camber-headed leaded light window is set under the eaves in the gallery, offset to the east of the doorway. The eastern bay has a pointed-arched window of two lights with plain panel tracery. The southwest bay of the chancel contains a similarly detailed window, while the southeast bay has a leaded light matching the gallery window style. The eastern window is also a pointed-arched two-light window with cusped panel tracery. The north chapel has narrow leaded lights in its north and east walls. The bell in the western bellcote is said to be inscribed with the initials, names and dates: W L R W 1721 LLANRYDWRYS / R WIGGAN A LUKE FECIT / ASHTON WRXAM.

The interior is entered via the round-headed southwest doorway, which leads into a vestibule formed by a screen directly below the gallery at the western end of the nave. Opposite the entrance stands a large plain cylindrical 12th-century font positioned on a shallow shelf running west along the north wall and along the west wall. Wooden steps lead up to the gallery in the southwest corner. The western gallery is supported on a wide chamfered beam with exposed joists. Entry to the gallery is through a doorway at the north end of a beaded boarded partition; the door itself has two pointed-arched panels.

The nave contains two roof bays and the chancel three roof bays, separated by a 13th-century pointed arch with square responds and plain imposts. The roof timbers are exposed. Both the nave and chancel have braced and collared 13th-century crucks, with the cruck at the eastern end having its north blade exposed when the north chapel was constructed. The easternmost bay over the chancel has a panelled roof with diagonally set tongue-and-groove panelling between chamfered dividers, with Tudor flower bosses at intersections. Above the eastern cruck collar is splayed panelling above a Tudor flower, enclosing the chancel roof at its western end. The north chapel has a single roof bay with a 19th-century collared truss and purlins with beaded angles.

The fittings are of pitch pine. The lower parts of the nave and north chapel walls are panelled. The rear pew of the chapel is formed by a simple bench; other pews have shaped ends and slatted, angled backs with hymn book rests. At the western end of the nave, the gallery front has a moulded rail on shaped balusters, below which is a shaped frieze bearing an inscription and date reading: M. I. H. RECDOR T P H S 1776.

The sanctuary rail is moulded on plain balusters with trefoil-headed pierced panels containing circles within the angles, forming an open arcade pattern. The reading desk is similarly detailed. Set in the base of the south wall of the sanctuary is a gravestone to cousins Richard (son of Thomas of Orsedd) and Owen (son of Rice at Plas Cemlyn) Price, both of whom died in 1783. A single slate memorial slab along the south wall of the nave commemorates Shadrach Williams of Fronddu, Cemlyn, who died in 1808, and his wife Catherine, who died in 1819.