Church of St. Peter, Steynton Pembrokeshire

RE-OPENING OF STEYNTON CHURCH, PEMBROKESHIRE. On Wednesday the Parish Church of Steynton was re-opened by the Bishop of St. David's. The present vicar, the Rev. E. Humphrey Jones, on coming to the parish about three years ago, found the church in a most dilapidated and neglected condition. The rev. gentleman immediately set about the work of restoration, and, being well backed up by his parishioners, both Churchmen and Nonconformists, the necessary money was raised and the sacred edifice restored. The church, of the Fourteenth Century style of architecture, originally consisted simply of a tower, nave, and porch. At some period a chancel and two aisles were added, and the nave walls were pierced with three arches on each side, and three of the original windows of the nave were inserted in the chancel. At a later period the windows in question were blocked up. The restoration consists of the old chancel windows being opened out, two of them being filled in with cathedral-tinted diamond pattern lead work, and one with painted lights, in memory of the late Dr. Byers, who, for a period of 34 years, was a warden of the parish, the cost of this being defrayed by a number of his fellow parishioners. A new east window has also been inserted, and will eventually be filled in with painted lights in memory of the late Canon Thomas, who was vicar of the parish for about 30 years. The vestry is now beneath the tower, which, during the Civil Wars, according to Fenton, from its elevated situation and great command of the country around was garrisoned with twenty musketeers, and some horse collected about it, to cut off the communication between Pill Fort and Haverford- west. The old nave walls have been raised, and the aisle walls lowered, and open timbered sharp pitched roofs erected, so as to bring the building back to its original plan. Mr. E. H. Lingen Barker, of Hereford, was the architect, Mr. Henry Edwards, of Milford, the contractor, and that the cost of the restoration was £1,400.

Reference    Weekly Mail 21 July 1883 page 4
Reference    Pembrokeshire Herald 20 July 1883 page 3