Wernffrwd, St. David’s – the ‘little church on the marsh’.
In the 19th century parishioners of the Parish of Llanrhidian living between Llanrhidian church and the chapel of ease at Penclawdd were often unable to attend church when adverse weather or tidal conditions made the only road along the marsh impassable. To enable these people to attend services regularly a ‘mission chapel’ was built alongside the marsh in Wernffrwd; the building was named St. David’s and was opened by the Bishop of St. David’s on Easter Tuesday 13th April 1898.
The building is constructed of stone with a slate roof, there is an entrance porch on the south west corner and a small bell tower on the apex of the west gable end. The recent addition of a kitchen and toilet was completed and opened by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in June 2009.
The church is of simple design with a single centre aisle; there is no screen as such but a partition of diagonally boarded softwood pierced by a chancel arch separates the chancel from the nave.
A panel of stained glass depicting St. David is set centrally in the west window. It was a gift from the Revd. D. W. E. Brinson and seems to be Victorian. The centre panel of the east window, depicting Christ in Majesty, was removed from the redundant church of All Saints, Pontardawe and kindly given to St. David’s. This also seems to be Victorian.
Two memorial tablets on the west wall of the church were removed from Penuel Presbyterian Church, Llanmorlais on its closure in 1998 and commemorate the service of men from this area of the parish in the 1914-18 War.
In the 19th century parishioners of the Parish of Llanrhidian living between Llanrhidian church and the chapel of ease at Penclawdd were often unable to attend church when adverse weather or tidal conditions made the only road along the marsh impassable. To enable these people to attend services regularly a ‘mission chapel’ was built alongside the marsh in Wernffrwd; the building was named St. David’s and was opened by the Bishop of St. David’s on Easter Tuesday 13th April 1898.
The building is constructed of stone with a slate roof, there is an entrance porch on the south west corner and a small bell tower on the apex of the west gable end. The recent addition of a kitchen and toilet was completed and opened by the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in June 2009.
The church is of simple design with a single centre aisle; there is no screen as such but a partition of diagonally boarded softwood pierced by a chancel arch separates the chancel from the nave.
A panel of stained glass depicting St. David is set centrally in the west window. It was a gift from the Revd. D. W. E. Brinson and seems to be Victorian. The centre panel of the east window, depicting Christ in Majesty, was removed from the redundant church of All Saints, Pontardawe and kindly given to St. David’s. This also seems to be Victorian.
Two memorial tablets on the west wall of the church were removed from Penuel Presbyterian Church, Llanmorlais on its closure in 1998 and commemorate the service of men from this area of the parish in the 1914-18 War.
when the tide's in, coming to church is a 'challenge for me and it's a challenge for my coracle'
the ever shifting tide between Crofty and Penclawdd