St Elidyr's Church was the principal place of worship of the Cawdor family, former owners of the Stackpole Estate. The church has medieval origins, but most of the original structure, apart from the 12th or 13th century tower and part of the chancel, has been absorbed into later additions and renovations.
The church is built on a slope in a wooded valley, the slope partly excavated to accommodate the building. Cruciform in plan, the chancel is about 6.5 metres long by 4.5 metres wide. There are north and south transepts, a vestry and a chapel. There is an open porch to the south, within which there is an early medieval inscribed stone. There was a crypt beneath the chancel, now filled in. The roof is slate, and there is a wrought iron cross at its eastern end. The altar table is oak, as are the communion rails.
The tower is a prominent feature and an older part of the church. It is of a typical local design with a parapet, but unusually slender. The lowest storey has a vault opening into the north transept. Two upper floors and the roof are crudely constructed. Each storey has windows or louvred openings, the lowest being blocked. The top storey has louvred openings on all four sides and there is a spiral staircase.
A stone cross with a modern head stands in the churchyard.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.