A substantial interwar design in a free basilican style, occupying a position of high townscape prominence close to the River Taff and forming a good group with the slightly earlier presbytery and parish hall. The church has a stately vaulted interior, its furnishings including striking marquetry artworks by Penanne Crabbe, installed in 1999.

A mission was established at Treforest from Newbridge in 1853. Four years later a stone-built Gothic chapel-school was opened in Wood Road (Old Park Terrace), dedicated to St Dubritius (Dubricius, Dubric, Dyfrig), who evangelised much of southeast Wales in the sixth century. This remained in use until the present church was completed in 1927. In 1921 a site on Broadway on the east side of the town, close to the River Taff was been leased for the building of a new church, parish hall and presbytery (the freehold was later acquired). The presbytery and memorial hall were built first, in 1923. Archbishop Mostyn laid the foundation stone for the church on 4 November 1926 and the building was completed within twelve months, with the formal dedication and opening by the archbishop on 14 November 1927, the feast of St Dupritius. The architect was Arthur George Lynham FRIBA of Thomas & Morgan & Partners, Pontypridd. Miss M. M. Davies of Danygraig House, Llantrisant gave the high altar, Lady Altar and a statue of the Sacred Heart (a Catholic convert, Miss Davies had also paid for the church of Our Lady of Penrhys at Ferndale (now closed) and donated its oak shrine/statue of Our Lady of Penrhys, now at Tonypandy, qv). Councillor Seton, not a Catholic, gave the pulpit.

The church underwent unspecified alterations in the 1950s (Coflein), possibly the addition of the day chapel on the south side. Post-Vatican II reordering saw the removal of the original altar, altar rails, and font and the installation of a forward altar. The new altar and the church were consecrated by Archbishop Murphy of Cardiff on 6 November 1975. In 1999 furnishings by the local artist and parishioner Penanne Crabbe (d.2008) were added (including Stations of the Cross and the corpus of a crucifix carved from pews in the church).

Today the church is joined with All Hallows, Miskin (qv) in the clustered parish of Llantrisant and Treforest. Later known as the Institute, the 1857 school-chapel in Old Park Terrace still survives, apparently unused and boarded up.

Description

The church is in a free basilican style, combining Romanesque and Italo-Byzantine elements. The architecture is described in the list entry (below) but there is no information on the furnishings. The following details can be added:

• The church retains its original continuous panelling around the apse (incorrectly described as a reredos in the list entry), but the high altar has been removed. The forward altar of 1975 has a white stone mensa set on red brick uprights with grey brick banding. The brass domed tabernacle is set on a reconstituted marble plinth with a mosaic symbol of the Eucharist.
• The original oak pulpit remains in situ, muscular in appearance and decorated with foliage and crosses; its detailing matches the panelling in the sanctuary.
• The life-size Italo-Byzantine sanctuary crucifix is by Penanne Crabbe (1999). It has marquetry detail and a wooden relief corpus made from one of the pews at the west end, which became redundant when the western narthex was built. Also by Crabbe and dating from the same time as the crucifix, are the Stations of the Cross (small marquetry panels set in squared cross frames), an image of Our Lady of the Valleys (at the east end of the north aisle), and the Baptism of Christ (at the east end of the south aisle).
• The pews are modern replacements for the originals.
• There are various original small stained glass windows throughout, with simple cross and angular designs.
• The original font has been replaced by a modern hardwood font, placed in the sanctuary. A modern painted wooden statue of St Dyfrig is in the former baptistery at the west end.

List descriptions

Church

Reference Number: 24878
Grade: II  
Date of Designation: 26/02/2001  
Date of Amendment: 26/02/2001  
Name of Property: Church of St Dyfrig  
Unitary Authority: Rhondda Cynon Taff  
Community: Pontypridd  
Town: Pontypridd  
Locality: Treforest  
Easting: 308333  
Northing: 189278  
Street Side: S  
Location: Prominently sited at the S end of Broadway, W of the River Taff at Machine Bridge.  

History: Dated 1926 and probably by F R Bates & Son, Roman Catholic architects of Newport. The basilican theme used here was later developed by them for St Joseph, Aberavon, built in 1930.  

Exterior: The design is a variation of the basilican theme. The walls are brick with stone dressings and the slate roof is behind coped gables. At the W end is a 5-bay gabled narthex wider than the nave and with pilaster strips. The central bay has a small round-headed window above a foundation tablet and is flanked by Romanesque doorways, both with nook shafts, roll-moulded arch and outer order of billets. Narrow round-headed windows are in the outer bays. Above the central bay is a polygonal turret with moulded cornice, and a copper dome, at the apex of which and set against the W wall of the nave, is a crucifixion sculpture in stone. The gable ends of the narthex have oculi. The 6-bay nave has shallow aisles with pilaster strips and round-headed windows, while each clerestory bay has 3 stepped round-headed windows with stone surrounds and under a round brick relieving arch. On the S side the 3 eastern bays have a chapel with roughcast walls and a confessional set slightly back, both under catslide roofs and with narrow small-pane windows. The lower and narrower chancel is a polygonal apse with high round-headed windows in each facet. On the S side of the chancel is a vestry, also abutted by the confessional. The brick vestry has projecting boarded eaves, and windows with stone lintels and sills. The E wall has 5 windows, the S wall 3, while the entrance is on the E side, where a boarded door is under an overlight, with a window to the L.  

Interior: The W doors lead into separate vestibules with niches for stoups. The N vestibule also has a stair to the organ and gallery with plain balusters and newels. The 6-bay nave has a plaster tunnel vault with broad ribs descending to ground level as wall shafts. The arcades have brick piers and plastered round arches. The tall chancel arch is similar, and has an impost band continuous with the clerestorey sill bands. The chancel has a stepped marble floor and continuous panelled reredos. The end bay of the nave has a later screen defining an extension to the vestibule, below the panelled gallery front. The confessional on the S side has ribbed doors, the chapel replaced glazed doors.  

Reason for designation: Listed for architectural interest as a distinctive and well-preserved church using the early Christian style.  

Presbytery

Reference Number: 24880
Grade: II  
Status: Designated  
Date of Designation: 26/02/2001  
Date of Amendment: 26/02/2001  
Name of Property: St Dyfrig’s Presbytery  
Unitary Authority: Rhondda Cynon Taff  
Community: Pontypridd  
Town: Pontypridd  
Locality: Treforest  
Easting: 308331  
Northing: 189255  
Street Side: S  
Location: On the S side of the church.  

History: Probably c1926 by F R Bates & Son, architects of Newport, and built in conjunction with the church.  

Exterior: A mixed style house though mainly Tudor-Revival, of 2 storeys with attic, roughcast walls painted white and hipped slate roof with projecting eaves. Windows are 12-pane sashes. The front is given asymmetrical emphasis by a projecting 2-storey gabled bay L of centre incorporating a 2-storey canted bay window. To its R is a single-storey porch, which has an inserted glazed door beneath a mullioned overlight and plain parapet, leading to the half-lit front door. On the R side is a single window, with 2 windows in the upper storey. To the L of the canted bay window are 2 pairs of sashes in each storey. A continuous string course is above the ground-floor window lintels. The L side wall has 2 sashes in the lower storey and a window upper R. The R side is 2-window and has a canted bay window lower L. The rear is dominated by a large mullioned stair light on the L side and has a flat roof dormer.  

Interior: Not inspected.  

Reason for designation: Listed for group value with Church of St Dyfrig and Church Hall.  

Parish hall

Reference Number: 24879
Grade: II  
Date of Designation: 26/02/2001  
Date of Amendment: 26/02/2001  
Name of Property: St Dyfrig’s Church Hall  
Unitary Authority: Rhondda Cynon Taff  
Community: Pontypridd  
Town: Pontypridd  
Locality: Treforest  
Easting: 308345  
Northing: 189229  
Street Side: S  
Location: On the S side of the church and Presbytery.  

History: Probably c1926 by F R Bates & Son, architects of Newport, and built in conjunction with the church.  

Exterior: A reinforced concrete 6-bay hall showing Arts and Crafts influence, of roughcast walls painted cream and slate roof with overhanging eaves. At the W gable end are central replaced double panel doors below a lean-to canopy, and flanked by buttresses that intersect the 5-light mullioned window above lighting the gallery. To the R and L are 2 pairs of segmental-headed windows lighting the vestibule. The side walls are characterised by their prominent battered buttresses. The windows have brick segmental heads. On the S side the windows are shorter in the 2 bays at the W end because they light the gallery. Escape doors are inserted in the bay R of centre. On the N side the windows are similar, but are shortened in front of a later flat-roofed projection. An integral lower hipped roof projection is at the rear with blocked small-pane windows.  

Interior: The vestibule has a boarded wainscot that continues to the gallery stairs R and L. Half-lit panelled doors lead to the hall. The gallery has a panelled front and is opposite the stage, which has a proscenium in the form of a lintel with keystone. Flanking the stage are half-lit doors. The 6-bay segmental plaster ceiling has wide ribs on corbels concealing steel trusses.  

Reason for designation: Listed as a church hall of distinctive inter-war character and for group value with Church of St Dyfrig and Presbytery.  

Heritage Details