Church of St David

Church of St David

A large early nineteenth-century Gothic church comprising a broad nave and chancel under a single roof, a lower north aisle under a separate roof, a north porch, and a prominent north-west tower with spire. The building is constructed of coursed rubble with lighter freestone dressings and quoins, with a slate roof behind coped gables and a moulded eaves cornice.

The west window of the nave contains three stepped lights under a continuous hood, with a round window in the gable above. The south side displays six buttressed bays to the nave and chancel, each with single hooded windows. The triple east window has a continuous hood mould below a cusped round window in the gable. On the north side of the chancel is a lean-to vestry with a pointed boarded door in a surround with continuous chamfer, and a two-light north window. The four-bay north aisle has similar buttressed bays to the nave with similar windows, except at the west end where a porch is located. The porch has a tall pointed doorway, broadly chamfered and without capitals. The nave doorway has a continuous double chamfer and double boarded doors with strap hinges.

The two-stage tower has set-back buttresses in the lower stage and single-light windows. The narrower second stage rises above a freestone offset and incorporates thin attached shafts in the angles. Tall pointed triple belfry openings have louvres, above which is a corbel table. The broach spire has, on alternate faces, tall pointed openings with iron grilles.

The nave and chancel contain a queen-post roof of eleven narrow bays with half bays at the ends. The south wall has six blind arches, as if intended for a south aisle. The six-bay north arcade, with the end bays blind, has pointed arches with two orders of continuous chamfer. The king-post aisle roof has seven narrow bays with half bays at the ends, and blind arches in its north wall similar to the nave and chancel. The chancel east wall is more elaborately treated in thirteenth-century style, with a corbelled ledge behind the altar flanked by three-bay blind arcades with cusped arches and marble shafts. The east window has a rere-arch with similar shafts and is flanked by single blind bays. In the south wall is a cusped and hooded piscina.

The octagonal font is in Perpendicular style, with a panelled stem and underside of bowl, and quatrefoils around the bowl. Pews have simple moulded ends and stalls have similar moulded ends, some with poppy heads. The wooden polygonal pulpit stands on posts and is decorated with blind cusped arches. The communion rail has scrolled iron uprights and wooden rail. The west wall has painted wooden boards with the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Decalogue.

The church contains numerous memorials, the earliest being a medieval grave slab placed by the font. In the chancel north wall is a memorial to Bishop Richard Davies, signed by Edward Davies of London, though the relief carving is said to have been undertaken by William Thomas of Merthyr Tydfil, featuring a high-relief portrait over an inscription panel. In the chancel south wall is a Gothic style wall tablet by John Thomas & Son of Brecon, to Elizabeth Johnes (died 1842), with pinnacled shafts flanking a cusped inscription panel. Adjacent is a classical style memorial with sarcophagus surmounted by an urn, to the Reverend David Davies (died 1831), by Daniel Mainwaring of Carmarthen.

In the nave south wall is a monument to John and Mary Griffith (died 1722, 1738) erected by their daughter, with an inscription panel supported by a cherub and surmounted by a broken segmental pediment and coat of arms. A simple marble scroll on a polished granite background commemorates John Ryle Morris (died 1897). Next is a sarcophagus on a slate background to George Vaughan Philipps (died 1873), by William Davies of Carmarthen. A brass cross enriched with foliage decoration commemorates Reverend Thomas Thomas (died 1881), next to which is a simple pedimented inscription panel on a slate background to William Morris (died 1930).

In the aisle, the west wall has a slate inscription panel to Sybill Phillipps (died 1671) with a freestone surround with relief decoration. On the north wall are three memorials by James Foster of Bristol with lozenge-shaped slate backgrounds to inscription panels surmounted by urns, to Thomas Blome (died 1810), Ann Blome (died 1807), and Herbert Lloyd (died 1806). A neo-classical style mourner and urn commemorates Mary Anne Lloyd (died 1861) and family, by G. Maile of London. At the east end of the aisle is the pew of the Philipps family of Cwmgwili. The largest memorial, in the east wall, has a classical surround with Corinthian columns and open segmental pediment above cherubs, surmounted by further cherubs and coat of arms, though no longer legible. To its right is a classical tablet surmounted by a draped urn on a slate background to John George Philipps (died 1816), by Daniel Mainwaring. A plainer inscription tablet of polished granite background commemorates Sir Grismond Picton Philipps (died 1967). In the north wall is a memorial erected by Captain J G Philipps in 1854 in memory of three of his sons, by Evan Harries of Carmarthen, on a slate background by David James of Carmarthen. Above it is an inscription panel with urn to Frederic Philipps (died 1838), also by David James.

Several windows contain stained glass. The east window shows the Life of Christ, circa 1879. The chancel south-east window shows Christ with Simon Peter and commemorates Captain J G Philipps of Cwmgwili, said to have been the longest-lived survivor of the Battle of the Nile. The chancel south-west window depicts the Resurrection, circa 1847. In the nave south wall, beginning at the east end, windows show 'Suffer little children', Christ as the Good Shepherd, while the west window has symbols including Agnus Dei and Dove of Peace. The north aisle east window, above the Cwmgwili pew, shows Christ attending the sick, in memory of Grismond Philipps (died 1850).