Church of St Eleth

Neo-classical church (with some late gothic elements) comprising broad-spanned nave clasping west tower. Roughly coursed and graded rubble with tooled ashlar dressings; shallow pitched slate roof. Tower forms centrepiece to pedimented west wall of nave, the whole articulated by angle pilasters. Tower has simple arched west entrance with oculus above: the foiled tracery in this feature is a later C19 introduction. Clock above, and louvred bell-chamber lights in the upper stage. Fine balustraded parapet has angle piers surmounted by shaped pinnacles. West windows to main body of church set high. Perpendicular tracery introduced in original openings. Return elevations of nave have angle pilasters, plinth and string-course, and modillion cornice. Round-arched windows in ashlar surrounds with inserted plate tracery (possibly a modern renewal of a C19 feature). E end is pedimented by a string course across the gable and a continuation of the modillion cornice, its shallow arched window appears to be of c1800, but again with tracery inserted at a later date, an elaborate tow-tier, 5-light scheme.

West gallery, baptistry and flanking meeting rooms introduced in 1999 alterations. The articulation of the church as nave and aisles is the result of the C19 restoration, which introduced 3-bay arcades. These have double chamfered arches on octagonal shafts with moulded bases and capitals, and are sprung from corbels with superimposed carved heads at the west end. Chancel created in C19 by subdividing the E end to form shallow chancel with flanking chapel and organ chamber (the organ removed for re-siting on gallery). Chancel arch springs from the more ornate eastern responds of the arcade, and the side arches are sprung from corbels with superimposed carved hands. Original moulded cornices survive to N and S. Above the simple plastered ceilings, the original roof structure survives intact, with a close-spaced series of braced king-post and collar trusses, entirely independent of the arcade below. Simple stained glass emblems in east window (later C19). A series of memorial stones mainly re-sited from an earlier church include Captain David Lloyd of Llwydiarth, 1651 (strapwork framing and a shield of arms), Howell Lewis of Gwredog, d1683, William and Anne Lewis of Trysglwyn, d1743 and 1744. In the base of the tower is late C16 slab tombstone found in the churchyard. In the sanctuary, a marble and mosaic memorial to Jane Pritchard, and her son Thomas Lewis, d1914.