Church of St Gwyninin

The Church of St Gwyninin is a small church constructed in a primitive Gothic style. It dates primarily to the 1840s, although it incorporates earlier features. The church is situated in a simple setting.

The building consists of a nave and chancel unified under a single roof, and a west tower with a distinctive lop-sided appearance. The exterior is of granite rubble stone laid in irregular, uncoursed blocks and is roofed with slate featuring narrow gable coping. The octagonal west tower rises above the nave roof and has small upright stone shafts at the angles, linked by a string course. On the west face of the tower, below a pointed-arched window with Y-tracery and lattice glazing, is a blind pointed-arched recess mirroring similar recesses in the west wall of the nave. An incised slate tablet above the window commemorates the 1840 rebuilding and lists the Rector and Church Wardens. A slate sundial is inset into the tower wall. The tower’s belfry, slightly set back, has four small pointed-arched bell openings with horizontal slates as louvres. Above this rises a squat conical roof culminating in a granite ball finial and iron cross. The south front features three pointed arched windows with Y-tracery; the left window has stone voussoirs, while the two right windows have brick arches. The entrance door, between the two windows closest to the tower, is pointed-arched with dressed granite voussoirs and a plank door. The north side has a single window with a brick head, and the east elevation has a larger Y-tracery window. An iron cross marks the gable end.

The interior is notable for its simplicity and charm, with whitewashed walls and painted brick flooring. The nave and chancel share a roof supported by early 19th century collar trusses with king posts and straight braces springing from wall plates. A tall pointed arch at the west end of the nave opens into the tower; the lower portion is enclosed by a boarded partition with a partly-glazed door, which also forms the front of a west gallery with a moulded handrail and turned balusters. A central aisle runs through the nave, flanked by box pews, painted green and grained. The pulpit, part of the box pew enclosure on the north side, is canted with recessed panels. A wooden communion rail features trefoil headed openings. A 13th-14th century font stands within the nave, featuring a deep circular basin and a seven-sided shaft on a chamfered plinth. A stone stoup stands by the entrance door. An Art Nouveau style copper oil lamp is suspended by an iron chain. Several floor slabs commemorate members of the Griffith Williams family, including Margaret (1727) and Elizabeth (1710).