Saturday 29 November 2014

St Michael, Cefnllys



I came across this church while looking at a map of Llandidrod Wells, it was off the beaten track so to speak and looked to be in the middle of know where as there seemed to be no houses nearby. I checked it out on Geograph to see if any one had good a photo of the church and was pleased to see there was and as I suspected it was sat isolated on the side of a hill quite away from the nearest road.
One Saturday I ventured out to visit the church which dates back to the 13th century but was extensively restored in the 19th century after the vicar of Llandidrod Wells had the roof removed to try to encourage the  parishioners to attend the new church that had been built in town. It was unsuccessful and the church was restored in 1895.


Remember I said it was isolated, well you can just make the church out to the left

St Michael s Church from the south side of the churchyard




Going round the north side 






The north wall the nave

















The bell tower and porch









 
 



 which has to large tomb slabs attached to the wall









On going inside you see the church has seats and a rood screen. This was the natural light available to me and the photo was taken using a gorillapod as I had left my usual one at home. The pod was not much use in here so the rest of the photos were taken handheld with flash so sorry for the quality




This is using the gorillapod on the floor











This one is taken useing the flash on my camera
The rood screen which I could not say how old it is but there is a photo of the church with no roof showing the screen in place
Pulpit which stands on a stone plinth and looks very nicely carved



The altar and rails
Closer shot of the altar
Looking over to the left an one of the windows




Floor level shot of one of the small choir pews






 At the back of the nave is the font with a couple of memorials on the wall









The church organ which is small and hides a few memorials like the one below










The roof is in good condition and all the seats have beautifully covered kneelers










The oak rood cross was made and presented by S Edwards Temple Bazaar in December 1985, it was made from the wood taken from the old church






Some of the old photos of the church can be see at the back near the entrance. While this window is one of the few with stained glass










The north wall has this mural of the nativity 





and I really liked this lectern decoration






















In the porch you can see other churches with the same name and the trail you can follow, don't worry I will be visiting them in due course


Back in the churchyard there are many old graves





Some are tombs under a yew tree which have become covered in green algie













You can see others with a covering of lichen but considering the position the churchyard is well kept and not overgrown like some

I think this will be the last church from Wales for a while. Hope you have a wonderfull weekend

4 comments:

  1. Bill, Another wonderful post this week, so lovely. I find the floor tiles interesting. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  2. i love the little cap - almost like a hat. what a great location. such character. ( :

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  3. There is such a mystery that envelopes such old and isolated churches. Plus is has the old graveyard which brings even more mystic to the place. This is great place. The interior is one that is most impressive. As for a house of worship, one doesn't need extravagant decor and comfort.

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  4. What a visual treat for us Bill.. both St. Michael's here and St. David's last post. It's wonderful to see all the detail shots you take. So interesting to see the ceiling here in St. Michael's is the same style as the shots I took in St. John's in Fremantle. I love everything about these ancient simple churches especially the way the arched windows are set into the thick stone walls, churches back then were, obviously, built to last for a very long time :)

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