Church of Saint Meilyr

Cadw's description

Location

On the SW side of Llys-y-fran near the bottom of the valley of the Afon Syfni just 200m SE of the dam.

History

Anglican parish church, small medieval church of nave and chancel with large W bellcote. The curious vaulted semicircular chamber on the nave S wall is unexplained. Restored in 1869 by F. Wehnert for £150. Hywel Davies, the Methodist 'Apostle of Pembrokeshire' was curate here c. 1741.

Exterior

Parish church, rubble stone with slate close-eaved roofs. Coped gables. Nave has sloping walls with boulder foundations. W end has restored sandstone segmental-pointed chamfered doorway with C19 board door with ornate iron hinges. Broad rubble bellcote has two triangular-headed openings with rough stone heads, gabled top with C19 fleur-de-lys finial. N side has three C19 sandstone 2-light windows with cusped heads to lights. S side has slate-roofed low projection to left with C19 ashlar trefoil light, and two similar 2-light windows to right. Inset into wall between windows is slate plaque with crude open pediment to Lettitia Philipp of Southfield (d 1795). Chancel has lower roof, cross-finial to gable. Roof is carried down on S over windowless rubble projection to left. To right is attached slate pedimented and columned memorial to John Bowen of Farthings Hook (d 1829). E end has triplet of C19 cusped lancets, centre one taller. N side is windowless.

Interior

Painted plastered walls, C19 roofs. Nave roof with 6 plain bolted C19 collar-trusses. Segmental-pointed W door-head. Segmental-pointed broad low opening to semicircular-plan recess of some 1.5m deep by 1.8m wide on nave S, plastered inside but presumably vaulted and medieval, purpose unknown. Plastered irregular round chancel arch. Two bay chancel roof with arch-braced collar trusses. Rectangular recess on S wall left and full-height opening to lean-to vestry on right.
Fittings: Later C19 apart from font. Font is possibly C13, crude polygonal bowl of 9 or 10 irregular sides, slightly sloped in to chamfered underside. It stands on a medieval whitewashed round pier with crude waterholding ring moulding below clasped by 4 spur feet, on square plinth. Pine pews, octagonal pine pulpit with Gothic cusped panels, and turned columns at angles. Pine book-rest lectern. Pine rails with cusped pointed openings, column shafts and pierced trefoils in spandrels. Pine screen to vestry recess on chancel S with segmental-pointed entry to left of raised 4-light opening with turned column shafts and cusped pointed heads.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a basically small medieval church with unusual nave recess.