Category: Ancient Churches
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St Trillo’s Well
Not only does Wales boast the smallest city on the UK, St David’s; or the smallest cathedral, St Asaph’s, but we also have arguably the smallest chapel – St Trillo. And when we say small, think tiny. Sitting almost in the sea protected only by the concrete sea defences to the north and tucked into…
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St Issui Church, Patrisio
This is a long blog post but it is needed as this is an extraordinary church in many ways. Its setting, tucked into the side of a steep hill surrounded by farmland in seeming isolation provides it with a unique feeling of isolation. Though when this church was built there were many more people working…
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Llandanwg Church
Earlier this year in July as I was recovering from my heart attack, Aunty and I undertook a walk along a stretch of the Wales Coastal path in North West Wales. This was to be walk from Llandanwg south along the beaches towards Barmouth, but it was so hot that we cut it short and…
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How old is a tree? The Defynnog Yew
Can a tree really be over 5000 years old? According to some sources the yew tree in the church yard of St Cynnog’s in Defynnog on the edge of the Brecon Beacons might possibly be older than that. I’ve been wanting to visit Defynnog for some time now, and the weekend seemed like a good…
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Llanfair Kilgeddin
Hidden down a single track road is an unprepossessing looking church. But it has hidden treasures, and it is a must visit. Getting there was not that easy, but with the intrepid trio of Aunty, Grandad and myself we bundled along the country roads of Monmouthshire to where I thought the church would be. The name…
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Strata Florida
The isolation of Mid-Wales today can sometimes be misleading, and shouldn’t be used to judge the past. The villages may seem to be empty and a long way from each other, but when they were established the countryside population would have been very different from today. Without the modern machinery we take for granted today,…
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Talley Abbey – Bankruptcy and Battles
Hidden away in the Cothi Valley are the ruins of an abbey, but this one has a slightly different history to any of the other monasteries in Wales. Talley Abbey was founded by the White Canons, the Premonstratensians. I have to admit that I’ve never heard of this order before, but I’ll try not to…
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St Asaph Cathedral – Welsh 100 no 49
On the banks of the River Elwy is a small city. It has a population of 3,355 souls. Now how on earth can such a small place be called a city. Surely this is nothing more than a village? Well St Asaph, Llanelwy, is a city, and an old one at that. But Wales seems…
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St Winifred’s Well: Welsh 100- No 45
A number of the visits we undertook during our holiday seemed to have developed an ecclesiastical theme. But this may not be a surprise when you remember that so many of the towns, villages and hamlets in Wales start with Llan. That said how about this for a miraculous tale and how the church has…
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Lligwy – 3 Ages in Stone
There are not many places where you can find evidence of more than 5000 years of continual human activity in such a small area. But on the eastern coast of Angelsey there just such a place. 5000 years set out in stone and human endeavour, both spiritual and pragmatic. Today Lligwy, hidden up a narrow…
Travels With My Aunt 