Service Times
Sunday:
9:15am – Holy Eucharist (Every 2nd and 4th Sunday)
Accessibility
| Parking | There is a grass field adjacent which is used for parking. This may be uneven in wet weather. |
| Churchyard paths | There is an even path from the roadside up to the church. There are no handrails. There are also steps directly from the carpark which may be uneven. |
| Door Access | Handrail at church entrance, portable ramp available for one step into church. Wheelchair-wide doorway. |
| Inside church | Space inside for wheelchairs and turning. There is a step up to the communion rail. The floor is carpeted throughout. |
| Accessible toilet | Unfortunately, there is only a compostable toilet at this church which does not have disability support. |
| Induction Loop | There is no induction loop in this church, but acoustics are fair. |
History
The church of Saint David in Llanddewi Skirrid lies at the foot of the Skirrid Fawr on whose summit the remains of a chapel dedicated to St Michael the Archangel can be seen. Only the tower of the original medieval church remains as the rest was demolished in May 1879 and rebuilt at the expense of the younger Crawshay Bailey of nearby Maindiff Court. The work cost over £2000 and included the church (£1,450) plus four new bells (cast in 1879 by James Barwell of Birmingham), a valuable new organ and other church fittings. The architect was John Prichard of Llandaff who was also the architect for the church at Llanfoist which had been recently restored in memory of Crawshay Bailey’s father.
The stone used to rebuild the church was quarried from near the Walnut Tree Inn. The new church was built on the original foundations but the chancel was elongated, a vestry added and the porch enlarged. Crawshay Bailey laid the foundation stone in the east wall of the chancel in May 1879.
Outside, some of the stone heads by the windows are thought to represent members of his family and also that of Crawshay Bailey himself. After the works were completed, the reconsecration took place in January 1880 and a brass plaque was placed on the wall to mark Bailey’s benevolence. The church service was followed by a public luncheon at Llanddewi Court when the address of thanks was given by Thomas Farr, one of the oldest villagers who referred to the former building as ‘getting into a dilapidated condition, the pews rotten and the roof in a very bad state’.
After his death in 1887, aged only 46, his two daughters Clara and Augusta, erected the fine east window in his memory. There is also a stone wall tablet in memory of his mother, Sarah Baker, who died when Crawshay Bailey was only three. Outside, in the churchyard his grave can be found and also that of his mother, Sarah Baker.
The church organ, also given by Crawshaw Bailey, was made by W G Vowles of Bristol in 1882. It is a two manual instrument with mechanical action and is thought to be one of the finest in the area. It was restoredd in 2001 by John Bleney of Grafton Flyford, It is said that it was originally intended to be given to St James’ Church in nearby Llanvetherine, but an argument with the vicar meant it was given to Llanddewi Skirrid instead. Very little survives from the former church other than the tower, the Royal Arms of Queen VIctoria, a late medieval grave slab which once covered the tomb of a priest, hence the engraved chalice, and part of the 12th century font on a 15th century base and shaft. In the churchyard is the base and part of a medieval stone cross.