St Tyfi's Church
An Assured Future for St Tyfi's
Walking through Castle Woods from Llandeilo, St Tyfi's church is a hidden gem that many people stumble across by accident - and I will never forget the first time that I was taken to this wonderful church building.
Surrounded by overgrown woodland and the bumps and hummocks of an ancient circular churchyard, St Tyfei’s was designed to be seen in its setting, as the estate church of nearby Newton House, at Dinefwr. It is known as 'the Butler's Church' and one can imagine the estate family travelling from Newton House by carriage along the estate lanes, whilst staff would have walked the same route - or even taken a short cut across the fields in drier weather.
The Church was dedicated to the Welsh saint Tyfei, nephew of Saint Teilo, and has been closed to regular worship since the 1960s.
A 1st or 2nd century Roman Fort complex lies on the ridge above the church, and when the churchyard was levelled in 1770, foundations were recorded that are thought to represent a Roman temple, including an altar with carvings of a cornucopia and augural staff on opposite faces.
A small stone church was first constructed on this site in medieval times, and was first mentioned in the Ecclesiastical Taxation of 1291. By 1324, it was assigned to Talley Abbey. This original building may have been replaced or enlarged in the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century.
The building we see today was almost entirely rebuilt from its medieval foundations in 1875, probably by R Kyrke Pearson from Oswestry (who also redesigned nearby Newton House). The original 15th century octagonal font now lives at St Teilo, Llandeilo.
A local group of volunteers has worked tirelessly to try and secure the future of the building as a local resource for the Llandeilo community. Sadly, the years have not been kind to the structure, the condition of which has deteriorated significantly.
The good news is that, as of May 2026, St Tyfi's church is in the process of being transferred to the care of the national charity, the Friends of Friendless Churches (FoFC). The website for this amazing organisation can be found HERE.
Over the next two years, FoFC will spearhead the repairs and restoration of St Tyfi's in parallel with local plans to ensure that the building has a future as a venue for community events. I have a dream of using the building to arrange an event displaying of photographs and artwork of West Wales landscapes.
Without the support of FoFC, there is little doubt that the build would have eventually succumbed to the elements and the roof likely collapsed.
I first photographed the church in 2015 (image above) and have returned on many occasions - at different times of day and night - to try and capture the magic of this very special place. It is now a waypoint on my daily walk with my border collie, Bess.
Some recent images are below - more to follow over the next several weeks.
