Parish Church of St Rhidian and St Illtyd

Parish Church of St Rhidian and St Illtyd

The church comprises a nave with south porch, north vestry, chancel and west tower. The 19th century work and the tower are built in irregularly coursed local rubble limestone, while the chancel is in uncoursed rubble. Freestone provides dressings to the door and window openings and coped gables, with slate roofs and tile ridges throughout.

The tower is a particularly notable feature, distinguished by its slightly battered profile. It is topped with an embattled parapet carried on double billet corbels. A projecting stairs turret at the south east corner rises higher still, itself carrying an embattled and corbelled parapet above the main tower parapet. A prominent string course runs near the base of the tower, beneath which the wall batter becomes more pronounced. The belfry openings consist of pairs of small pointed openings to the east and west, and single square-headed openings to the north and south. Multiple slit openings pierce the lower levels of both the tower and its stairs turret. Above the west door is a restored window of three round-headed lights providing illumination to the nave, with a small shallow round-headed niche alongside. The west door itself is a chamfered 19th century equilateral archway with recently re-dressed stonework.

The chancel retains original windows to the south and east; an opening at the north appears to have been blocked. A large 19th century door opening at the south has also been blocked. The east window contains three main lights with two above, surmounted by a relieving arch. The south windows are pairs of trefoil-headed lancets. The south piscina is formed below the eastern window.

The nave, porch and vestry are entirely 19th century constructions. The nave windows comprise pairs of lancets with a top quatrefoil (three at north, two at south), along with a single trefoil-headed lancet at north and a pair at south, west of the porch. The vestry has a pair of small trefoil-headed windows and a doorway with a Caernarfon lintel.

Numerous memorial stones are affixed to the south walls, including a plain slate monument to John Dunn (1798); a monument to Robert Pritchard of Penryalt (1717) with round-headed slate, fleurs de lys at corners, crowned and winged head and heart pierced by arrows; a large monument to Robert Harry (1646) bearing pious verses; a monument to Samuel Morris (1746) with moulded edge; monuments to David Jenkin and Jenkin ab Jenkin (1678); and others now illegible or fallen. At the churchyard entrance, two small inscribed stones relating to the nearby ancient site of Llan-elen, one dated 1687, are built into the right gate pier.

Interior

The nave is entered through the south porch and features a seven-bay roof with braced collar beam trusses, laid with black and red quarry tiles. A simple Gothic pine pulpit stands at the left, with an organ installed in 1997 at the right. Plain pews furnish the nave. A 19th century hexagonal font is positioned within. The base of the tower opens fully into the nave, with a pointed stone rubble-masonry vault of considerable height, within which stand 19th century children's pews. Steps at the west end lead down to the tower door, now considerably below the general floor level.

The chancel is accessed through a tall, wide equilateral chancel arch with chamfering. The chancel inclines to the left and features a four-bay roof with straight-braced collar-beam trusses. The floor is patterned in encaustic tiles, set one step above the nave with an additional step to the altar. The altar was carved by the Reverend J D Davies, whose craftsmanship is evident in many Gower churches. Communion rails on iron and brass standards and carved Gothic stalls complete the chancel furnishings.

The stained glass of the east window is by Jones and Willis, executed in 1901 as a memorial to the Gordon family, depicting the Good Shepherd, true vine and bread of life. Windows in the south of the chancel, also from 1901, show the four evangelists as a memorial to the Jenkins family. The glass in the west window, undated, commemorates Anne Davies and depicts Christ blessing the little children.