Church of St Brynach

Cadw's description

Location

In churchyard 20m SW of Llanfyrnach Bridge.

History

Anglican parish church rebuilt in 1842 in non-archaeological Tudor style, by an unknown architect, possibly John Phillips of Tavernspite, whose houses at Dolwilym and Glyntaf, Llanglydwen had some similarities. Repaired in 1894 and 1934. Faculty for a new reredos 1911. The previous church was repaired in 1771, 1780 oak door, 1789 new pulpit, and 1812. Recorded as the church of St Brynach at Blaentaf in 1291, given to the Knights Hospitallers by the constable of Cardigan Castle. The earthworks of Norman castle adjoin.

Exterior

Parish church, coursed squared slatey stone with cut slate dressings and slate roofs. W tower, nave, chancel. Broad squat three-stage W tower, the exterior unrelated to the interior which is mostly hollow. Clasping NW and SW buttresses with 4 cut-slate set-offs, up to string-course at base of plain parapet with square corner piers capped by octagonal finials with steep pointed caps. Notional bell-stage has to W, N and S faces, a blind three-light in chamfered surround with cut slate voussoirs, slate Tudor tracery to lights, heavy string course below. Main part of the tower has a long blind 3-light on W, chamfered surround with voussoirs and hoodmould, slate Tudor tracery. The outer lights are pierced with a cross-loop. N and S have two short blind lights pierced by loops, with no hoodmoulds, and ground floor one long light with hoodmould, Tudor timber window with lattice leaded glazing. W front has segmental-pointed chamfered doorway with cut voussoirs and hoodmould. Double doors with fixed head.
Nave has four buttresses each side, each with two set-offs but the outer ones carried up above gable shoulders as square piers with pediment caps. High plinth between buttresses. Nave S has two rectangular chamfered windows with hoodmoulds, slate sills and 2-light timber Tudor glazing, and one chamfered segmental-pointed window with timber Y-tracery. N side has three similar rectangular windows with hoodmoulds. Cut slate voussoirs, slate sills. Slate coping to nave E and W ends, E with extraordinary slate obelisk the top terminated as a cross.
Chancel has lower roof, similar buttresses with pediment finials, flanking E wall, coped gable and slate finial, a kind of layered obelisk or square Christmas tree. High plinth. One blind rectangular window each side with slate voussoirs, hoodmould and sill, and segmental-pointed E window with 3-light intersecting tracery in timber. Vent loop in gable.

Interior

Plain interior with later C19 three-sided boarded nave ceiling and panelled boarded chancel ceiling. Plain pointed chancel arch. Later C19 tiled chancel floor. Fittings: late medieval octagonal font coved in on underside to octagonal stem. TD inscribed on one side. Later C19 box pews, 1842 plain painted grained matching pulpit and reading desk with cusped blind tracery. Iron altar rails. Stained glass : late C19 or early C20 E window 3-light of Good shepherd on patterned quarries with angel each side in quatrefoil.
Tower has wooden stair to right and wooden screen to vestry to right. Upper part is hollow with valley roof at first floor level. Said to have two bells dated 1825.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved early Victorian church of definite character, dating from before the archaeologically-correct period of the Gothic Revival.