St Tyfi's Church, Llandyfeisant
History
The history of the site may stretch back to pre-Christian times. The small stone church was first constructed in medieval times. It was first mentioned in the Ecclesiastical Taxation of 1291. By 1324, it was assigned to Talley Abbey. The building may have been replaced or enlarged in the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century.
Architecture
The church was almost entirely rebuilt in the second half of the nineteenth century. The architect was likely R. Kyrke Pearson from Oswestry, who redesigned Newton House for Lord Dynefwr. The exterior has rubble-stone facings, gable parapets and a stone slate roof. The interior has an open, arched-brace roof with collar-beams and stone corbels, and a window in the south wall from the 13th century from the previous structure.
The building is no longer used for religious purposes. In 1961, the font and stained-glass window war memorial were removed to nearby St Teilo Church for safekeeping. The building was used as a visitor's information centre by The Welsh Wildlife Trust in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Owned by The Church in Wales and leased to The Welsh Wildlife Trust; the church has over the years fallen into disrepair and is in need of restoration work. Some negotiations started in 2011 which did not materialize, however new negotiations have been started in 2018 which are on going at present. Although occasionally referred to as St Tyfi's Church it is mainly referred to as Llandyfeisant Church and is a building of significant historic interest to the area with a strong connection to The Dinefwr estate. The last Lord Dinefwr is buried in the church grounds as well as many servants who worked on the Dinefwr estate.
The building was listed at Grade II on 18 March 1988, as a "church of moderate architectural interest in an exceptional location at Dynevwr Park, with a fine steeply sloping burial ground with old headstones".