Eglwys Newydd / Hafod Church,
Cwmystwyth
Croeso i'r Eglwys Hardd
Welcome to our beautiful Church
Mae'r eglwys yn adeilad hudolus ac hanesyddol a chroesawn bawb
i ymuno a ni yn ein gwasanaethau dwyieithog, neu i ymweld a'r
adeilad hardd.
Our well loved church, dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels has a
wealth of history and we welcome friends and visitors to visit or to join us in our bilingual worship. Services are held at 10-30a.m. on the 2nd Sunday, of each month.
Eglwys Newydd, also affectionately and more usually known as
Hafod Church, is situated in a quiet and picturesque area, on the
boundary of the Hafod Estate.
The church is open to the public every day between 10-30am and
4-30pm from Easter to the end of September.
Inside the Church today
The burial vault of Thomas Johnes and his family.
The christening font survived the fire, and is sculptured with the Johnes Family Coat of Arms and figures representing the Cardinal Virtues.
The first church at Hafod was built in 1620 by Morgan Herbert, one
of the early Squires of the Hafod Estate. Thomas Johnes inherited
the Hafod Estate in the late 18th century and established himself as a
pioneer in new forestry and farming methods - his picturesque
estate had become an essential destination for early visitors. He
built himself a beautiful new mansion designed by Thomas Baldwin
of Bath, and also wished for a more elegant church. ln 1803 he
commissioned James Wyatt to design an impressive new church.
Wyatt was best known as the restorer of Salisbury Cathedral and
some extravagantly Gothic country houses.
There are some unusual features to this beautiful Gothic church in
that the "east" window in fact faces south-west. The font, made of
Coade Stone, is decorated with carved roses, the Johnes coat of
Arms and figures representing the cardinal virtues. One window
contained sixteenth century Flemish stained glass brought over
from the Low Countries by Thomas Johnes, during the French
Revolution. lt was indeed an outstanding Gothic building.
The outward appearance of the church has not changed very much
but unfortunately the roof and the internal Gothic furniture, fittings
and paintings were lost or badly damaged by a fire in the church, in
April, 1932. The font survived amidst the charred fallen roof
timbers, but tragically the beautiful marble memorial, sculpted by
Sir Francis Chantrey in memory of Mariamne, the only child of
Thomas Johnes, was damaged beyond repair.
 Chantrey's Monument |
|
 After the fire |
After the fire the excellent work of restoring the church on this
occasion was overseen by W.D. Caroe. He designed the present
attractive limed-oak roof, furnishings and fittings. Fragments of the
Flemish stained glass window were salvaged and fitted into the
chancel windows. The church building has again recently
undergone extensive sensitive refurbishment, and the heating and
lighting have been renewed. This beautiful church has a wealth of
history and is again looking particularly fresh and welcoming.
Much social history has been researched by Mr Edgar Morgan and
members of the church. A touch screen computerised kiosk in the
church now enables visitor to seek their family history and easily
locate the grave stones and information about their loved ones.
The spectacular and picturesque setting of the church and the internal beauty make it an excellent venue for weddings.