St Stephen

Super friendly and the area is beautiful

Fantastic church in the beautiful village of Bodfari.

A beautiful small parish A church of Bodfari was granted to St Werburgh's Abbey, Chester, in 1093, and there are C13 references to it. Only the tower of the present church is mediaeval, with C15 belfry lights; the tower may be of earlier date but heightened at that time. An earlier dedication to St Deifer, the legendary C7 founder of this church, is recorded. It became the church of Bodfari and Aberwheeler when a south aisle was added in the C17 'in an improved style' to accommodate the parishioners of the latter, their own Capel Hwlcyn having been lost; the aisle was described as separated by an arcade with five octagonal timber pillars. Lewis (1833) considered the old structure a neat edifice, neatly fitted up; to Glynne (1839) it was coarse and plain, and glaring with whitewash. It appears to have been entered at the west through the tower. The body of the church was rebuilt to the design of T. H. Wyatt during the incumbency of the Rev. T. B. Ll. Browne in 1865. This was stated by Canon Browne have 'followed the exact line of the older church', but the earlier structure had made no distinction between nave and chancel, so the chancel of the present church cannot be altogether on the old foundations. The main benefactors for the rebuilding were Lord Dinorben, P. P. Pennant, Mrs Barratt and Miss Mesham. Wyatt, who had a very extensive practice, had recently worked for Pennant at Henlys and Miss Mesham at Pontruffydd. The pulpit of the earlier church, dated 1635, was incorporated in his redesign; this is stated to have come from Lleweni in 1715. The C16 octagonal stone font was re-carved. The C17 altar and the mediaeval parish chest were also retained. The chancel is the high point of the rebuild: it was paid for by Mrs Barratt and Miss Mesham, and incorporates high quality floor and wall tiling by Maw and Company of Jackfield, Shropshire. A board in the porch records a grant in 1863 by the Incorporated Church Building Society.