Church of St Llwchaiarn

Single chamber church with unplastered walls. C15 roof comprising shallow arched braces which are very close together obscuring the remaining roof timbers. C19 pews with fleur-de-lis decorated bench ends. Light timber rood screen with lancet-style arches, except for the central aisle opening which has a hammer-beam style arched head. It is said to include elements of the C15 screen. Steps rise up to the chancel, which has a mosaic floor with fleur-de-lis and geometric designs. C19-20 font; a round bowl on 4 columns with mouldings, supported by an octagonal plinth and base. A fragment of the C13 font survives, which had rounded handles, and a bowl with recessed circles. The windows have wide splayed jambs. The nave windows contain stained glass; square panes in yellow, green and blue with pink margin glazing. The E window has stained glass by Ballantine and Gardiner of Edinburgh. It is dedicated to the mother of Charles Whitley Owen of Fronfraith dated 1892. It depicts Christ ascending to heaven with the inscriptions 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased' and 'He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God'. On the S side of the chancel is a memorial in marble to John Lloyd, d. 1829, aged 57 years, whose remains are said to be in a vault underneath the E end of the church. The memorial is also dedicated to his wife and children, said to be buried under the monument. There is a memorial to Jack Miller, d. 1915, a churchwarden.

Predominantly in a rather simple Decorated style, but with some Early English elements. W tower, nave and chancel undivided, S porch and N vestry. Random masonry with yellow sandstone dressings, except for the E window which is of dressed red sandstone. Slate roofs with red ridge tiles. The church is embellished by angle and diagonal buttresses, often with gablets, and large fleur-de-lis style finials.

Distinctive tall, narrow 2-stage tower divided by a moulded string course with foliate decoration to the angles. Saddle back roof with raised sandstone copings to the verges and gableted corbels. There are machiolations beneath the sandstone eaves. There are narrow flat headed openings to the first stage of the tower and a sandstone block with an inscribed date of 1839 on the S side. The N side contains a plain planked door under a 4-centred arch and a sandstone lintel. It is approached by sandstone steps bound on the E side by a low wall which is separated from the W wall of the church. The top stage contains louvre openings on all 4 sides. Those to the N and S contain 2 cusped lights in plate tracery with moulded reveals. Those to the E and W comprise 2 trefoiled lancets with central colonnette and with a circular opening above, all recessed within a moulded opening under a hoodmould with foliate end bosses. There are narrow openings in the gables to the roof.

The porch is located on the S side of the nave towards its W end. It has a very ornate entrance with trefoil-headed opening containing 2 orders of mouldings under a crocketed hoodmould. The outer moulding has zig zag decoration while the inner moulding has dogtooth-style decoration. There are vertical lines of saltire crosses beneath the end bosses of the hoodmould. Above the entrance is a large foliate boss and an inscribed date reading AD 1840. The porch has wide sandstone eaves and the front face is sandstone dressed. Raised verges are surmounted by a finial to the apex and 2 finials just above the eaves with pyramidal copings and dogtooth decoration.

The S side of the nave and chancel has 2 buttresses and 4 windows; plain single lancets to the W of the porch and between the buttresses, and a plain 2-lancet window to the chancel. To the E of the porch is a more ornate window within a gabled semi-dormer. It consists of 2 trefoiled lancets with crocketed hood mould and an inscription reading AD 1843. There is an oval light above and a finial on the gable apex.

There are high diagonal buttresses to the SE and NE angles of the chancel with offsets and gablets surmounted by fleur-de-lis finials. To the E end of the church is a low brick extension c 0.5m high, with sandstone coping and a top surface of masonry slabs. It may enclose a burial. The E window contains 2 trefoiled lancets and a small trefoiled light above. It is under a plain, raked hoodmould.

The N side of the nave has 2 buttresses and 2 windows similar to the E window. The vestry is constructed at right angles to the N side of the chancel, and has a large external gable stack. The shaft comprises 4 large octagonal blocks with vertical roll mouldings, between which is dogtooth decoration. There are also horizontal mouldings at the base, top and in the middle of the shaft. The E side of the vestry contains a planked door and a window containing 2 lancets. To the W of the vestry there is a trefoiled light to the chancel.