Church of St Maethlu

Church of St Maethlu

A simple late medieval church of late Perpendicular style, comprising a nave of three bays with a west gable bellcote and south-west gabled porch, and a shorter, narrower chancel in Decorated style. The building is constructed of local rubble masonry with freestone dressings, and has a modern graded slate roof with slate ridge and stone copings.

The exterior shows offset angled buttresses at the east end of the nave. The chancel has a plinth along the lateral walls which is raised as a stepped dricourse at the east end. A single gabled bellcote stands at the west end, with east gables bearing weathered trefoil finials. Entry to the church is through the south-west porch. The nave windows are largely rectangular, though one arched window opens to the west; they contain a mix of square, round or trefoil-headed lights, either single or paired. The chancel east window has three cinquefoil-headed lights and cusped tracery within a pointed-arched frame with hoodmould. The south wall has a single round-headed light, and a rectangular doorway opens in the north wall.

The south-west porch contains a weathered gritstone water stoup (a weathered quernstone) set into the north corner. Inside, the nave has a three-bay roof; the two easternmost bays have a coved ceiling, with the roof plastered throughout and divided by chamfered dividers. The chancel has a two-bay roof with exposed rafters and collared trusses with chamfered braces and collar featuring diamond detailing down to wall posts on shaped corbels. The chancel is raised by one step and has a two-centred pointed arch with chamfered angles. The sanctuary is raised by one step and contains 18th-century communion rails with shaped balusters and square newel posts with chamfered angles. The altar is dedicated to members of the Carpenter Holland Griffiths family and is contemporary with, and similarly detailed to, the 19th-century pulpit and fittings of the choir. The reredos of oak panelling and associated tablet form a memorial to members of the parish who lost their lives in the First World War.

The pulpit and other late 19th-century fittings have shaped rails with floriate bosses and panels with quatrefoil and Celtic spiral decoration. At the east end of the nave stands the Griffith box pew: a panelled box pew incorporating parts of older pews and seats. The main seat back bears the Griffiths family crest and Latin motto with the initials W G and the date 1635. Above the seat back is a similarly detailed piece with moulded dividers flanked by foliate scrolls, surmounted by a dentilled frieze with acorn finials. A similar fragment of seat back appears above the nave north-east window. At the west end of the nave is an octagonal pulpit inscribed "THE · GIFT · / OF · RICH : / GRIFFITHS / GEN / 1640" on the facing panel.

The church contains a fine series of monuments. Along the north wall of the nave are a number of 18th and 19th-century marble memorials, including at the west end a finely detailed memorial to William Griffith of Carreglwyd, died 1718, and John Griffiths also of Carreglwyd, died 1792, together with his daughter Elizabeth Trygarn, died 1799. The memorial tablet is set between fluted pilasters supporting an entablature surmounted by the family crests, with the tablet to Elizabeth set below above paired cherubs' heads on wings. A marble memorial commemorates Holland Griffith esquire, died 1839, and his wife Eliza, died 1828. A bronze memorial tablet inscribed in Latin commemorates Guilemus Griffith, died 1587.

Along the north wall of the chancel are further late 19th-century marble memorials, including the Reade family memorial with paired pillars bearing stiff-leafed capitals supporting a shaped arch bearing the family crest.

The south wall of the nave bears a number of 18th and 19th-century bronze and marble memorial tablets, including a marble memorial to William Vickers of Llanfawr, died 1792, and his wife Mary, died 1771, surmounted by a pyramidal obelisk inset with an oval plaque bearing a romantic depiction of a small boy. Towards the west end of the wall is an early 18th-century memorial, much weathered, with a cherubs' head set over a marble memorial plaque within a draped surround.