St Matthew's church is located in a prominent position on the west side of the minor road through Dyffryn. An estate church, it was built in Early English style in 1871 to designs of John Norton of London and Bristol for Howel Gwyn of Dyffryn. The tower was completed in 1875. A vestry was added in 1884-5 and lean-to on the west end in 1900. There was a brass chancel screen of 1884, removed in 1923-4 for the present oak screen. The painted decorations were restored in 1934.
The church is built of squared rock-faced Pennant rubble stone (from Howel Gwyn's quarries) with Bath stone dressings and roofs of slates with bands of fishscale slating, coped gables with stone cross finials, ashlar quoins, battered plinth, and sill-course below windows; the slates of the nave roof are original of a pale grey colour, the other roofs have been renewed. The church comprises nave, lower chancel with north vestry and organ chamber, and two-stage unbuttressed south-west porch tower.
The interior is a period piece with its numerous stencilled texts. The nave roof is panelled in seven cants, divided by ribs into four bays. Fittings include font and pulpit both of grey Caen stone, and an ornate reredos of ashlar on marble shelf with flanking painted carved Gothic arcading in three bays. Stained glass includes works by Clayton & Bell (1900).

Sources:
Extracts from Cadw Listing description; J.Newman, Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan (1995), p.339-40.

RCAHMW, 6 May 2015