Church of Saint Sadwrn

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in rounded churchyard in centre of village.

History

Medieval parish church of nave and added short S aisle, the aisle probably late C15 or early C16 from window details, the nave perhaps C14 but without dateable detail. Porch possibly medieval, said to need reroofing at visitation in 1710. Minor repairs for £37 in 1847. Restored 1883-5 by John Middleton & Son. Plans of 1876 by John Harries of Llandeilo were not approved by Incorporated Church Building Society and abandoned.

Exterior

Church, rubble stone with slate roofs. Single-roofed nave and chancel with W bellcote and S porch, and short SE chapel or chancel aisle, separately roofed. Nave and chancel have single roof, C19 red clay ridge tiles, coped gables, E C19 cross finial, W coped gabled bellcote with 2 plain bell-openings. Two bells, one dated 1730. Most of the windows replaced with later C19 flat-headed windows with hoodmoulds, in grey limestone. W end has cambered-headed door with stone voussoirs and remains of blocked pointed window opening above. N side has one C19 3-light nave window and one tiny medieval chancel window of single pointed light with red stone jambs. Structural break to left of 3-light window. E end has one C19 2-light window. Clear evidence of gable being raised in C19. SE chapel aisle has flush E wall, smaller gable without coping, and one 2-light window of c1500, flat-headed with hoodmould, red sandstone slightly ogee heads and limestone jambs. Blocked third light to right shows original size of the window, traces remain of bigger hoodmould also. Battered base to E wall. S side has 2 C19 2-light windows and cambered-headed doorway right of centre. Plank door with added strap hinges in Tudor-arched timber surround. Large rubble buttresses left of door and at left angle, W wall has no windows. S side of nave has 2 similar C19 2-light windows, one each side of porch, which is set well to right. Porch is of rubble with rough stone coping to gable. Possibly late medieval, single chamfer pointed broad doorway, stone benches within and 3 oak pegged collar-trusses, possibly C17 or c1710. Pointed inner door with rounded jambs, C19 door. Holy water stoup to right, recess left. A blocked late medieval window, flat-headed 2-light in red sandstone survives just left of the left window.

Interior

Much altered in 1883-5, plastered walls to nave, stripped to expose rubble stone to chancel. 5-sided rafter roofs, inserted chancel arch in moulded Bath stone with corbelled squat columns. Chancel has 2 broad recesses in S wall one with door and steps down to SE aisle. Cambered arch over E window and also chancel N window. Low blocked door to chancel N wall with single pink stone lintel. Late C19 stalls with panelled Gothic frontal. Roundel motifs and squat column shafts to bench ends. Nave has plastered blocked broad arch into SE aisle. Blocked depressed-arched narrow doorway on N. Blocked square window in W end wall. Pitch pine pews. Timber pulpit on squat octagonal shaft, with traceried blank panels to 4 sides. Plain octagonal font with underside chamfered back to octagonal shaft. S aisle now divided off and subdivided into 2 rooms with concrete floor and boarded roof. Floor slabs in E room to T Cornwallis of Abermarlais d1699 and D Thomas of Troedyrhiw d1853. W room has 4 beams, 3 chamfered one ovolo moulded on one side. Blocked broad arch to nave.

Reason for designation

Included as a medieval church on probable Celtic site, with surviving medieval windows, though interior heavily restored.