St Cynfarch's Church, Hope, was first mentioned 1254. It is of double-nave type, the earliest part considered to be the southern chamber with later extension.  The arcade, north aisle and west tower are in Perpendicular style. The church is constructed of freestone and sandstone rubble, sandstone dressings, and a slate roof. Of particular interest is the four stage battlemented west tower with a fine Tudor-arched moulded entrance, 3-light pointed-arch bell windows with intersecting tracery to the fourth level, and a shallow-pitched pyramidal slate roof. Interior features include a c1500 7-bay arched-braced collar truss roof with trefoil and quatrefoil cusping at the truss apexes in the south aisle, and two C16th wall paintings in Black Letter Gothic script and a carved Royal Arms in the north aisle. The church was restored in the 19th century.

There are a number of wall paintings recorded in the church. There are two inscriptions in the southern side of the north aisle in black letter text within red and yellow borders.  Neither is now legible, but were written in English and conserved in 2019.  One of these is above the west pier, in an elaborate probably C17th frame.  The other is located above the third pier from the east, in a circular frame.  This has been tentatively dated to 1553.

A reset fragment of a Decalogue (Ten Commandments) was also identified.  This comprises a fragment of the 4th Commandment in English in C16th-C17th black letter text.

On the north wall, Royal Arms are cast in bas-relief, possibly in plaster, which date to before 1800.  They were repainted with the date, new initials (G II R) and motto in 1825.

Other paintings include the Hanoverian Royal Arms (George III) on canvas under the tower.  The oil painting is naive in style and uses heraldry of 1800.  There is also a table of Benefactions in oils on boards dated to 1723, a possible St Christopher in a reset fragment in the south wall opposite the doorway which is alleged to be early C16th, and 'other fragments found on the sanctuary walls' have also been recorded.

Sources include:
CADW listed buildings database
RCAHMW Wallpaintings database. 2004.09.10/RCAHMW/SLE

RCAHMW records AJP'73
Richard Suggett, Painted Temples: Wallpaintings and Rood-screens in Welsh Churches, 1200–1800, (RCAHMW 2021), pp. 247, 278.

RCAHMW 2021