Parish Church of St Dubritius

Parish Church of St Dubritius

This is a parish church built of random local pink sandstone rubble with slab stone roofing to the nave, tower, and south porch. The chancel steps down from the nave and is slated. Most windows date from later 19th-century and early 20th-century restorations unless otherwise stated.

The east window comprises three cusped lancets with stained glass, the central window rising higher beneath a relieving arch. Staged buttress pairs flank either side, returning on the north and south sides of the nave. Celtic stone cross finials crown the east gable ends of both the chancel and nave.

The chancel's north side is lit by a pair of small cusped lancets with sandstone dressings. The north elevation of the nave features an early 13th-century (possibly) plain round-headed doorway with dressed quoins to the jambs and diagonal stops, now blocked. To the left is another 19th-century stained glass cusped lancet with ferramenta; to the right are two matching 19th-century lancets, all with stained glass, ferramenta, and sandstone dressings.

The west tower is low and squat with slight batter and a stringcourse running immediately above it. The north, south, and east faces are unlit, formerly with single small rectangular windows with chamfered jambs under the eaves, all now blocked except the south face which has two openings. The west face has a two-centred doorway with relieving arch, chamfered jambs with diagonal stops. Above the doorway is a two-light 19th-century stained glass window with quatrefoil head beneath a hoodmould. Two small square-headed openings above with small central mullion are blocked except for ventilation holes, matched on the east face. The ground floor of the tower displays notably massive long and short work. A stair tower, probably dating from the 15th century, abuts the tower and nave on the south side, with a slated lean-to roof and two small stairlights.

The south porch is probably 16th-century with an original 'A' frame roof. It has a round-headed doorway with original jambs and replacement head with modern outer gates, and a round-headed inner doorway with an Elizabethan oak door, ribbed and studded with an arched head of carved, fanned quills. A fragment of medieval grave slab is located on the east side, discovered during the 1908 restoration, with three 18th-century gravestones mounted beneath. A 13th-century (possibly) water stoup is located to the right of the door. A cusped lancet lights the left side of the porch. To the right is a wide, squat lancet with an early trefoil-headed lancet to light the rood loft, now lost.

The chancel's south side is lit by a small pair of later lancets with a later small timber priests' door beneath a hoodmould with relieving arch over.

The chancel arch is wide and acutely pointed with a secondary arch springing from the jambs, matching in style the tower arch. It appears to have been rebuilt, probably in the 19th century. The tower arch is 14th-century, two-centred and of two orders. The nave has a 20th-century 'A' framed raftered roof with two chamfered tie-beams, decorated in black and white paintwork, carried on stone corbels. The chancel roof is 19th-century, consisting of a smaller 'A' frame roof set on matching smaller corbels. At the west end is a 14th-century octagonal font with octagonal bowl set on a square base.

Inside the tower is a copy of the will of William Wroth, rector during the 1630s, who was ejected in 1638 and founded the first non-conformist congregation in Wales.