Church of St David (also known as Church of St Arthneu or St Arthney).

Church of St David

This church, also known as the Church of St Arthneu or St Arthney, consists of a nave and aisle under one roof, with a west tower, chancel and vestry. The building is constructed from local sandstone rubble with original door and window dressings in red sandstone. The windows were restored in the 19th century using oolitic limestone, which forms the only coursed masonry around these openings. The roofs are slate with stone coped gables to the east and west of the nave and aisle, and to the east of the chancel. A stone cross sits over the chancel gable. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. Extensive but heavily weathered traces of limewash accretions are visible, particularly on the north and south faces of the main body and on the east face of the vestry.

The unbuttressed tower features large restored crenellations topped with roofing slates. At the base of the parapet, a string course incorporates two carved grotesque gargoyles, discharging to the south and west. The belfry lights to the north and west are paired, though the central mullion of the latter is now missing. A segmental belfry light to the south probably dates to the 19th century. The east light has a late mediaeval four-centred arch. Minimal slit lights pierce the middle storey. The base storey has a high-level string course that rises to form a square label over the west doorway. This doorway has a plain-chamfered single-order two-centred arch. The lowest two metres of the tower, beneath the string course, are strongly battered. In places the tower masonry has been roughly rendered and scored with lines.

A late mediaeval doorway in the aisle west wall features a two-centred chamfered arch set in a slight square-headed recess. The aisle contains three windows on each side, all dating to the 19th century. Each consists of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil toplight and simple label moulds. A similar window appears in the east wall of the vestry. The east window of the chancel is comparable but comprises three lights with a hexafoil toplight. Fixed to the south wall is a monument to three sons of Phillip Pryce Lloyd, all of whom died in infancy between 1779 and 1784.

The porch occupies the base of the tower. The springing of the first-floor vault remains visible on all sides, though the crown is absent and replaced by a timber floor. The ancient Caercastell Cross is displayed here, named from the field in which it was discovered. This shallowly carved wheel-head cross is now in two pieces and bears an inscription recording Elmon, or Elmat, 'fecit hanc crucem', though the remainder of the reading is disputed.

The interior is remarkable for its lack of architectural division between nave and aisle. A plain overall flat ceiling is simply divided into two by a slight lateral rib, with another rib around the perimeter. Pine pews occupy four ranges. A low plain-chamfered chancel arch leads into the chancel, and a similar arch, now blocked, formerly led to the space which is now the vestry. The chancel is one step down from the nave, and its axis is noticeably inclined to the right of the nave axis. It features a barrel-vault ceiling divided by ribs into square panels. The east window is dated 1865 and was erected in memory of David Williams of Abercothi. It depicts Christ between St Peter and St John, with Moses holding the tablets in the toplight. The central south window commemorates John Thomas Davies, dated 1913, who donated the four bells. This window depicts the Resurrection and the Ascension.

The body of the church contains a small number of fine 18th and 19th century wall monuments. At the north, a marble monument to William Rees of Capel Dewi, who died in 1759, features a broken pediment with urn, thin brackets, dark pilaster strips, and an ornamental apron beneath a shelf. To its right is a Gothick monument to E H Adams of Middleton Hall, carved by E Griffin of Regent Street in 1843. It is fashioned from figured cream marble with a trefoiled inscription panel, side buttresses, and a small shield of arms on the centre finial. Against the east wall stands a monument dated 1848 to Mary Williams of Glasgoedfawr, sculpted by J Jones of Llanddarog, featuring a broken pediment with bust. At the south, a monument dated 1847 to Sir William and Dame Ann Paxton, who died in 1824 and 1846 respectively, displays a broken round pediment with crested shield of arms and motto, Ionic pilasters, large consoles, an inscription within an arch below the entablature, and low relief portraits in the apron beneath.

An octagonal font in a single stone with a hollowed profile is present in the church. An organ dating to around 1900 was built by Nicholson of Worcester.