St Odoceus' Church, Llandawke

St Odoceus’ Church stands in a shallow hollow beside the lane that links Llandawke and Laugharne in Carmarthenshire. Built of local sandstone under slate roofs, it follows a simple Gothic plan with a four-bay nave, a narrower three-bay chancel and a short west tower. The tower rises in two stages, its upper openings lancet bell louvres, and a small stair turret clings to its north face. A crucifix finial crowns the east gable, while the south door is framed by a Perpendicular window to the left and a Decorated window with Victorian tracery to the right. The church’s history begins in the 13th century, with remodelling by Sir Guy De Brian in the 14th century. After a Victorian restoration it fell into dereliction, described in 1988 as partly overgrown. In 2006 the charity Friends of Friendless Churches took it on under a 999-year lease and formed a local group to help with repairs. Inside, a 14th-century effigy thought to be Margaret Marlos lies broken in three pieces, said to recall her violent end. Visitors enter through the south doorway and find a plain nave leading to the chancel. On the south chancel wall a piscina and a former tomb recess remain, while the north wall holds the damaged effigy. Beneath the east window an early Christian slab bears Ogham and Roman lettering, and the oak altar of 1882 is richly carved with floral motifs. The quiet hollow and the modest stone building together create a place where history is still visible in every surface.