St Bride's Church is situated within a polygonal churchyard overlooking St Bride's Haven. The church was first mentioned in an early 13th century source, and again in 1291. Around 1698 an early medieval roman-letter inscribed stone (now lost) was located on the foreshore within the vicinity of the church. It has been noted that the present churchyard partially overlies a semi-circular cropmark (with north-south diameter of some 70m) to the east, visible of aerial photographic coverage. In 2002 the cropmark was noted to be visible as a slight depression supporting a growth of rushes, its western arc interrupted by an artificially canalised stream which may have originally run outside the boundary. When the stone was recorded it was located at or near the site of a cemetery, now eroding from the boulder clay at the top of St Bride's Haven. Radiocarbon samples gave dates of AD810-1090 for a cist grave, and AD1650 or later for a dug grave, meaning the cemetery was in use from the early medieval period into the post medieval period. The church is some 750m east of St Bride's castle. The church was a parish church during the post-Conquest period, belonging to the Deanery of Rhos. In 1536 patronage of the rectory was held by John Wogan of Wiston. He sold it to Francis Laugharne of St Brides in 1577, when the church dedication was recorded as `St Murus and St Brides?. By 1833 the patronage was held alternately by W.P. Laugharne, Esq., Charles Phillips, Esq. and John Nash, Esq.

The church is a Grade 2 listed building, considered important as a medieval church carefully rebuilt in the 19th century. It retains its medieval arcades, windows and doors and medieval bellcotes. It is constructed of limestone rubble and has whitewashed external walls. The building consists of 4-bayed nave, 3-bayed chancel, north transept, south porch and north vestry. The square limestone font with cylindrical base is 12th- to early 13th-century in date and sits on a later medieval octagonal limestone base (apparently another font upturned). The chancel, nave, north transept (and former south transept) all date to the 14th century. The church was restored in 1868, when the vestry was constructed from the medieval skew passage. Against the nave east wall are 2 bays of fine late medieval screen, each panel with 2-light blind tracery: a very rare survival. In the north transept are four eroded medieval gravestones: two with sculpted heads only, a third with sculpted head and canopy behind, the fourth with full draped effigy.
Sources include:
Cadw, Listed Buildings Database
Cambria Archaeology, 2000, Pembrokeshire Churches, gazetteer, 48
Cambria Archaeology, 2003, Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites Project, Pembrokeshire gazetteer

N Vousden, 25 October 2018