Church of St David and St Cyfelach

Church of St David and St Cyfelach

This is an Anglican parish church of considerable architectural importance, built in rubble stone with ashlar dressings. The structure comprises a nave with a remodelled or added south porch, a northeast side and an added chancel.

The nave is constructed of thin coursed rubble stone with a low-pitched eaves roof of greenish slates, featuring paired brackets at the eaves and coped shouldered gables. The angles are clasped by large, unmedieval stepped buttresses in squared tooled sandstone on a rubble plinth, rising four steps with chamfered copings. The south side contains a central door within a porch, with large Tudor-arched windows on either side. The north side has three similar windows. All windows display fine moulded three-light ogee tracery in red sandstone, presumably inserted into earlier openings.

The porch features greenish slates carried down each side over the tops of the side piers. Its front has a finely moulded four-centred arched doorway with a statue niche above, both in red stone, and red stone moulded eaves. A small ashlar statue of St David occupies the niche. The porch is fitted with ornate twentieth-century metal gates. Within, arch-braced collar trusses support the structure. The south doorway is finely moulded in red stone with a segmental pointed moulded head, the mouldings dying into the piers. Fine panelled double doors, probably dating to 1914, complete the entrance.

The nave's north side comprises three bays divided by broad stepped buttresses, with windows clearly inserted into the wall, perhaps originally blank. A small square-headed red stone traceried two-light window is set low to the right. The west end is rendered between buttresses, above a rubble stone plinth. A large nineteenth-century Perpendicular style four-light Bath stone window with hoodmould occupies the west face, above a narrow pointed door with hood reached by outside stone steps with rock-faced rubble-stone parapet.

Against the northeast corner of the nave stands an early nineteenth-century funeral chapel with a hipped slate eaves roof. Its north front features pointed windows each side of a pointed door, all with stone voussoirs and keystone. The windows contain timber Y-tracery glazing with leaded lights, and the door is planked.

The chancel displays conventional nineteenth-century Gothic detail with a steeper pitched roof, coped shouldered gable, rock-faced coursed squared stone, and ashlar flush quoins. Its windows feature ogee tracery and chamfered plinth. The large three-light east window has a hoodmould; a single light window opens to the north, whilst a door and two-light window to the south are both positioned to the left. The south window bears a hoodmould, and a chamfered pointed doorway with a planked door and strap hinges provides access. The stone voussoirs of a very broad nave east window are visible above the chancel roof.

The nave interior displays Arts and Crafts character derived from work undertaken in 1913–14. A broad eleven-bay collar-truss roof with king-post and curved angle struts spans the space, possibly original, with added arched braces bearing blind tracery spandrels and tapering wall-posts. Windows are set within cambered-headed red sandstone reveals. The west end is divided by a panelled timber screen of nine panels, each with two-light blind tracery. The three outer panels on each side sit beneath a divided organ with gallery between the cases, which are plain panelled. Beneath the gallery a plaque records restoration in 1912–14 by WD Caroe, with Collins & Godfrey as contractors. A screen on the north leads to the vestry with a Tudor-arched entry. The vestry is lit by a two-light traceried window.

A moulded ashlar chancel arch with column shafts separates the spaces. The chancel contains a five-sided rafter roof. A broad four-centred arch on the north side opens into the funeral chapel; the south side features a segmental pointed recess.

The chancel screen, dating to 1914 and designed by Caroe, is in oak in the late medieval style with three bays on each side of a broad centre opening, all in memory of Charlotte Thomas (died 1912). The side bays feature ogee crocketted arches within pointed arches with elaborate tracery infill to the heads; similar infill fills the two arches over the broad centre opening. The cove is panelled, with a vine-trail carved top cornice and cresting, and a rood cross above.

The pulpit, of later nineteenth-century date, is oak with traceried panels to five sides and angle column shafts. A scroll inscription runs within the cornice, whilst a large octagonal ashlar base with squat shaft, moulded cornice and chamfered plinth supports the whole. Stone steps lead upward.

The font of later nineteenth-century date is an ashlar octagon with four carved panels depicting Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel and Zachariah. An octagonal stem and moulded base complete the piece. An oak carved reredos, presumably by Caroe, comprises three panels with rich cresting over, flanked by two crested taller side panels. The centre panel is carved with the Supper at Emmaus. Oak altar rails, possibly of late nineteenth-century date or by Caroe, feature pierced quatrefoils in the band beneath the top rail. Chancel stalls, possibly late nineteenth-century, also feature quatrefoils in the band under the top rail. Later nineteenth-century pine pews fill the nave.

An early Christian stone on the nave north wall, dating to the ninth or tenth century, is incised with a Celtic cross—a ring cross with interlaced terminals and eroded letters to the left. Painted wood benefaction boards of the earlier nineteenth century are displayed in the Price chapel.

The funeral chapel contains a fine set of monuments to the Price and Llewelyn-Price family. On the west wall stands a marble memorial to Mary Price (died 1754) by Benjamin Palmer, set within a grey scrolled frame. The north wall displays a marble monument to Mary and Ann Price (died 1782 and 1769 respectively) with twin draped urns in white marble. A fine Adamesque marble memorial to Gryfydd Price, barrister (died 1787), features a long encomiastic inscription, an urn on pedestal above, and husk-drop motif on side piers; it is signed by King of Bath. The south wall holds an open-pedimented marble memorial to Jane Price (died 1758). A large sarcophagus-shaped slate plaque commemorates John Llewelyn (died 1817), with matching plaques for Fanny Llewelyn (died 1832) and William Dillwyn (died 1819).

Within the church itself, the nave west end displays a memorial to Rachel and Thomas Glasbrook (died 1783 and 1784). The north wall contains a fine bolection-moulded framed plaque to Lieutenant JC Gladstone Davies ARIBA of Tanyrallt (died 1918), and a marble plaque of circa 1920s to the Howell and Thomas families dating from 1821. A plaque to Mary Johns (died 1899) occupies the south wall. An oval plaque with draped urn commemorates Dr R. Jenkins of Glais (died 1866) by J. Williams of Llandeilo. The chancel north displays a plaque in grey stone frame to Ellen Mathew (died 1771). A brass plaque showing incised kneeling figures commemorates Mathew Johnes and wife (died 1631). The chancel south wall holds a sarcophagus-shaped plaque to Elizabeth Walker (died 1856) and a fine plaque with urn to Elizabeth Bevan (died 1807), signed H. Wood of Bristol.

Stained glass of considerable interest adorns the windows. The nave north second window is exceptional, commemorating JD Clive Evans (drowned 1961) of Swansea College of Art. Made by the stained glass department there under Timothy Lewis, it depicts a Christ figure dissolved in complex patterns of leading and subtle colours to suggest water. The nave north third window displays a Good Shepherd with two panels each side depicting scenes from the parable of the sower, dated 1947 and made by Burlison & Grylls in an old-fashioned but well-coloured style. The nave south second window, by A.K. Nicholson and in later twentieth-century conventional style, shows Christ and four scenes, commemorating Richard Jenkins of Gellyfeddan and his children. The chancel north window depicts St Dubricius, dated 1916 and made by Kempe & Co. The east window, also by Kempe & Co and dating to circa 1920, shows the Crucifixion.