St Elidyr's Lychgate

St Elidyr's Lychgate is located at the west entrance to St Elidyr's churchyard. It was designed by Christopher Hatton Turnor in memory of John Frederick Vaughan, the second Earl Cawdor, who lived from 1817 to 1898. Turnor was a young relative of the wife of the third Earl and briefly practiced architecture before focusing on agricultural reform.

The lychgate features an inscription commemorating the late Earl on a lead scroll on the outer-facing lintel, and the Earl Cawdor's arms are displayed on lead panels attached to the stone piers. The gateway is framed by two sandstone piers that are connected by curved ramps leading to the churchyard wall. There are two oak frames, one at the front and one at the rear of the gateway, which are braced together and kept clear of the ground. Each frame has a shaped oak lintel with segmentally curved soffits. The gateposts are housed between the braces, allowing the gates to be centrally positioned within the gateway. The gates are simple, braced, and slatted, opening outwards.

The lychgate is topped with a hipped roof made of small slates, featuring a deep overhang at the eaves. Lead guttering is attached to the ends of the projecting beams using wrought-iron brackets. The lead finials, ridge cover, uprights, and ridge-crests are designed in Art Nouveau style, with the crests marked 'W Dodds' and consisting of eight similar pieces, each featuring a central motif of the Galley of Lorne from the Cawdor Arms.

The overall design gives a somewhat miniaturized impression, with low headroom and a deep shadow cast by the overhanging roof, while the lead armorial panels resemble high-level windows. This lychgate is noted for its fine design, influenced by Arts and Crafts ideas, and its leadwork in Art Nouveau forms, making it likely the finest lychgate in southwest Wales.