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St Paul's Church is
situated in the north-east part of Dolgellau
Rectorial Benefice in the hamlet of Bryncoedifor.
It is about half a mile from the junction of a
quiet country lane that runs between Rhydymain
and Brithdir and the main A474 trunk road to
Bala. The church stands on the south-west slopes
of the Wnion valley about 5 miles from Dolgellau
and twelve miles from Bala.
St Paul's is the spiritual home of the members of
the Church in Wales community living in the
village of Rhydymain and the hamlets of
Bryncoedifor and Drws y Nant. Rhydymain is a
rural village built at the confluence of the
beautiful rivers Eiddon and Wnion in a
predominantly agricultural area and has its own
primary school and village hall, which serve a
population of approximately 600 people. The
original church school in Bryncoedifor closed in
1966.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, when the
church was founded, the congregation was composed
mainly of the families and workers from the
estates of Hengwrt (now Arran Hall) Caerynwch and
to a lesser extent Nannau. The last resident
vicar, the Rev. Eric Alexander Owen, left the
former vicarage adjacent to the church on 1951,
just after the church celebrated its centenary.
St Mark's Church, Brithdir was built in 1898 and
replaced St Paul's as the place of worship for
the community living in the Caerynwch and
Brithdir area. For a brief period after 1951 the
Rev. Hugh Thomas, from Brithdir vicarage, led the
services in both St Mark's and St Paul's.
St Paul's is now part of the Rectorial Benefice
of Dolgellau. A Eucharist is held every Sunday
morning at 9.00 a.m. The services are bilingual.
St Paul's is small but lovely with a warm
atmosphere conducive to prayer.
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