Church of St David

Cadw's description

Location

An isolated church within a round churchyard approximately 6.2km ENE of Aberedw.

History

A small single-cell medieval church of c1300 later, extended to the E. The S window is dated 1723. The present stone-tile roof is a restoration of 1961-2. The W wall was rebuilt in 1985.

Exterior

A small church of whitened rubble stone with nave, chancel and W vestry under a single stone-tile roof. A square bellcote, set back from the W end, is weatherboarded and has small bell openings with louvres, under a pyramidal roof. The open-fronted S porch has a weatherboarded gable. Inside it are a single collar-beam truss, stone benches and steeply shouldered doorway. The late medieval door, possibly re-used, has original iron strap hinges, and ring handle and plate. On the E wall of the porch is a grave slab to Edward Morgan (d 1803). The chancel has a square-headed 3-light S window, with renewed wooden mullions, and original round-headed lights, above which is an inscription 'HW IRM 1723'. There is no E window (the stump of a former yew tree against the chancel wall may account for this), but an C18 or early C19 grave slab is attached to the wall on iron brackets, its inscription badly weathered. The N side has a trefoil-headed medieval window with iron bars. At the E end the wall is slightly set back, showing where it has been lengthened. The W wall, rebuilt in 1985, has a boarded vestry door with vertical ribs, and narrow opening above now glazed.

Interior

A dividing wall separates nave from vestry, and has a boarded door with strap hinges. The simple plaster wagon roof of nave and chancel is probably C18. The altar is set into a recess with truncated ogee head, above which is a re-set moulded beam, probably from a rood screen.

The plain octagonal font is on a later base. In the E wall, L of the altar, is a slate memorial tablet to Thomas Harper (d 1768) and family by 'CM' of Hay-on-Wye. The N wall has freestone tablets to James Probert (d 1756) by 'WP', Thomas Probert (d 1757) and Mary Probert (d 1760).

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as a rare parish church that has remained almost unaltered since the C18.