Church of St Brynarch

The Church of St Brynarch is a largely 19th-century rebuilding of a medieval structure, situated within a broader historical context of continuous religious use. The church comprises a west tower, a nave with a short south aisle and a north projecting chapel and slightly offset chancel. The building is constructed of rubble stone with slate roofs, featuring coped gables and cross finials. A restoration in 1864 resulted in the replacement of window tracery with intersecting ogee tracery of early Perpendicular style, along with the addition of a south porch, chancel, and south aisle buttresses. Forest of Dean stone was used for the dressings during this period.

The broad west tower has a battered plinth, small two-light bell openings, and a corbelled embattled parapet, with a northeast stair tower. The west front features five-step angle buttresses and a 19th-century four-light window under superimposed relieving arches. The nave’s south side has an 1864 blue lias ashlar porch with pointed inner and outer doors, a three-light window to the right, and two three-light windows to the north, leading to a north lean-to. The north side also includes a renewed two-light window and a flat-headed two-light window. The south aisle is uniquely two-storey, incorporating a priest’s chamber in a loft space. Its gabled roof extends to the west end with a stair projection capped with ashlar, and includes two renewed three-light windows between added buttresses, with a reset carved cross above the centre buttress, and a three-light east window with a quatrefoil roundel in the gable. The chancel is distinguished by small lean-to spaces at each side of the east end; the south lean-to contains a three-light south window and a single east light, while the north lean-to features a two-light north window. Further renewed two-light windows with buttresses flank the chancel, culminating in a large three-light east window.

Following the 1864 restoration, a Forest of Dean stone arcade of two bays was installed to the south aisle, supported by an octagonal pier with a cap. The church also boasts a fine 1864 Bath stone font and pulpit. A dismantled medieval font once existed, described as having a square shallow basin chamfered to a circular base. The chancel features broad 4-centred granite arches leading to the north and south organ recesses. A 1864 ashlar reredos, with a carved cornice and three inlaid marble panels, stands at the east end. Encaustic tile wall panels are also present. The south aisle exhibits low, largely renewed, stone quadripartite rib vaulting in two cells, a distinctive feature unique to North Pembrokeshire. Some granite corbels, presumably originally for wall shafts, are also visible. A very low door accesses the stair to the priest’s chamber above.

Furnishings include two brass candelabra, 1864 stalls and pews, and a 1918 brass eagle lectern. Stained glass windows are present; the east window dates to circa 1879, the chancel south window was created in 1864 by Cavers and Barraud, the north window is from circa 1940 by E.L. Armitage, and a window in the south recess is from circa 1905. Three interesting incised plaster panels serve as monuments: one in the chancel south recess to W. Warren of Trewern (died 1710), one in the chancel north recess to G. Lloyd of Cwmgloyne (died 1731), and one in the south aisle to Katherine Warren (died 1720). Numerous 19th-century plaques commemorate the Bowen family, including one to G. Bowen (died 1810) with a draped urn, and one to E. Warren Jones (died 1829) with a draped urn, signed D. Mainwaring. A cross-inscribed stone with unusual knotting is incorporated into the south aisle window sill, alongside another inscribed stone—bearing Latin and Ogham inscriptions—both discovered in 1906 within a wall leading to the priest’s chamber. The south aisle was formerly the Trewern-Henllys chapel, and the north recess was known as the Glasdir chapel. The two chancel recesses are believed to have served as sepulchral recesses.