Church of St. Erfyl

Church of St. Erfyl

The Church of St. Erfyl stands in a prominent, slightly elevated position on the north side of the A458 at the centre of the village, within a roughly circular churchyard enclosed for the most part by a masonry retaining wall. Within the churchyard stands a sundial, a gift of the then rector L. Richards in 1847, and a war memorial of polished pink granite in the form of an obelisk. At the south-west corner of the churchyard is a timber-framed lychgate which may have originated in the 17th century but was extensively remodelled and repaired, with an inscription recording this work in 1843.

The church was built in 1870 by Edward Haycock (Junior) of Shrewsbury on the site of an earlier church, probably occupying an ancient site of religious activity. The present building incorporates the medieval roof construction and other fixtures and fittings from the earlier building. A gravestone now relocated to the interior of the church is from a 5th or 6th century burial said to be located beneath the large yew tree to the south-east of the porch.

The building is designed in Early English style, comprising a nave, chancel, vestry and porch, with a bellcote at the west end. The exterior is finished in snecked blue-grey masonry, rock-faced with red sandstone dressings, beneath a slate roof. The opening for the bell has a cinquefoiled head and is supported by a buttress containing a lancet window. The nave and chancel are buttressed. Windows contain one, two or three lights with cinquefoiled arch heads, sometimes with a quatrefoil above, mostly with diamond pane glazing. The east window has a dripmould and is divided into three sections by two mullions which divide towards the top, with cusped lights.

The interior retains a medieval roof of approximately 1400 from the old church, consisting of six arch-braced trusses with two cusped, raked struts at the apex, cusped wind braces, and principal rafters cusped on the inside. The lancet window at the west end contains stained glass by Done and Davies of Shrewsbury. The chancel windows were built under the bequest of William Humphrey Gardner of Llyssun, who died in 1909.

The font is of later Perpendicular design, featuring an octagonal bowl with small roll mouldings around the top and Tudor leaves in relief on the underside, supported on an octagonal stem with a base probably of limestone. A section of wood panelling from the old church, dated 1706, has been re-erected on the south wall of the chancel. The pulpit and chancel pews are also reused, possibly from the old church. A series of painted panels formerly from the gallery front of the old church have been fixed to the north wall of the chancel at high level; they consist of oil-painted text and illustration on wood. The text is in English and contains a date of 1772, while the illustrations, though faint, include Christ, Moses, St. Paul and mystical animals in various scenes. A late medieval reliquary and shrine or reredos is recorded as having been plastered into the vestry wall.

The most significant furnishing is an early Christian tombstone, 5 feet high and 20 inches wide, brought into the church from the site of the yew tree in 1915. It has a deeply incised inscription reading: "Here in the tomb lies Rosteece, daughter of Paterninus (aged) 13 years. In peace." It is said to date to the 5th or 6th century.

The church is listed for its medieval fittings and furnishings, its historic importance as an early Christian site, and for its townscape value.