Church of St Dyfan

Cadw's description

Location

Situated immediately N of Llandyfan farmhouse, some 2 km S of Trap in valley of Afon Cennen.

History

Anglican church, chapel of ease to Llandybie, rebuilt in 1864-5 to designs by R. K. Penson. There was an ancient chapel here, described in 1860 as still having 2 ancient lancets with cusps ornamented with flowers. It had been used by a nonconformist congregation before about 1840 and restored before 1860, but the present church is a larger (18.29m x 7.32m) rebuild on the original site. Lady Dynevor and Mrs Du Buisson of Glynhir were the principal donors. The interior had a low screen but this had been removed by 1868.

Exterior

Anglican church, single vessel with 3-sided apse in simple plate traceried style. S porch and N vestry. Squared snecked red sandstone with flush red sandstone dressings. Stone tiled roof with shaped rafter ends, with large timber and slate spirelet on the ridge between nave and chancel. Plain chamfered plate tracery, mostly 2 lights and roundel. Coped W gable with gabled kneelers and cross finial. Long 2-light W window. S porch is attractively hipped with main roof carried down and outswept. Battered base, moulded string and pointed red sandstone arch. Two cusped lancets to right, then single-step buttress with battered base marking chancel. Canted apse has moulded plinth, 2-light window in each of 3 sides. N wall has slate-roofed vestry with 2-light N window (without roundel) and shouldered-headed W door. Then nave has 2-light and single light similar to S side. Ridge spirelet is a most unusual design, essentially a steep slated pyramid with smaller version above and slated square base. Both pyramids have a double row of very low timber trefoil openings beneath, like dove-holes, with a slate pent roof on wooden brackets between the rows, giving a layered effect. Cross finial.

Interior

Plastered whitewashed walls, 6-bay boarded roof without chancel division, solid arch-braces to collar trusses with wishbone struts over. Windows are set in deep-splayed segmental pointed reveals. Red ashlar framing to cambered-headed S nave door and pointed N vestry door. Red and black tiles to nave floor, two steps to sanctuary with timber rails typical of Penson with cusped pointed openings and quatrefoil in each spandrel. Openings have iron stanchions with two gilded leaves. Some encaustic tiles by Maw & Co in sanctuary floor. Pitch pine stalls and pews. Six open-back pews at W end. S side pine pulpit, hexagonal with pierced quatrefoils in roundels in panels. Whitewashed octagonal font with quatrefoil panels on 4 sides and moulded quatrefoil shaft. Stained glass: the 3 apse 2-light windows by Hardman have pattern of circles on clear ground and designs of vine, lily and rose. Other windows have latticed glazing with fleur-de-lys quarries, made by Powells.

Reason for designation

Included as an attractive Victorian small church retaining original fittings, of group value with the house and farm buildings at Llandyfan.