St Michael Archangel Cwmdu

 

This week the Church Explorer takes you back to Wales where he visits a couple more churches. This particular church at  Cwmdu I one I have passed ever time I went along the A479 to our caravan or on the way home. As I had gone to set up the caravan on my own I took the opportunity to stop off on my way home. The big problem I had was the church was locked so no photos inside I am afraid. There is little history on Wikipedia so I have given a link to the St Catwg Misitery area for you to look at. The church may not have been open but the churchyard was full of headstones and tombs to look around

From the gate all you see is the porch on the church, yew trees block off the view

South view from in the churchyard

The porch which has a locked gate

West end tower entrance door

North side

East end of the church

South east view of the church

A second porch on the chancel for the use of the priest is an unusual feature

South view of the tower

Back with a south view of the church

Two things I noticed of the wall of the church, the plaque on the left I cannot read and maybe an old gravestone, on the right is more recent and tells you where Cartloe son of Teyrnoc is buried dated 1830

Sahara's headstone

Four table tombs marking the resting place of one family

Three chest tombs which again I think are the same family

Going further north across the churchyard where the graves are very close together

Collage of the churchyard

Walking further west on the north side some of tombs covered in ivy with more recent burials in the foreground

The chest tombs are well forgotten with all this ivy on them

Different monuments

I presume these two headstones were laid down for safety but are not covered in moss

Looking east over the north side

These are beside the path on the south side

Near the entrance

I will leave you with this photo of monument on a base south of the church.

Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful week

St Michael Barford St Michael

 

 St Michael at Barford St Michael was the last church of my visit to the area, I had thought of visiting the church in Barford St John but as I had not heard back from the churchwarden so I gave up on visiting, as it was I had driven past the place on my way to this church. The church was open as I hoped when I arrived due to some church representatives discussing some work to be done. The church is normally open Wednesdays to Sundays between 10am and 3pm.

"The bell tower and north doorway of Church of England parish church of St Michael are Norman. Much of the rest of the church was rebuilt in the 13th century in the Early English Gothic style. It is a Grade I listed building. In August 1549 the vicar, James Webbe, was executed at Aylesbury for his part in leading a rising in protest at the abolition of the Latin liturgy and other religious reforms."

North side of St Michael looking up the path

East end view of the church

The tower on St Michael's in rather unusual in that it is in the end on the east end of the south aisle 

South east view of the chancel

The south porch which I think sees very little use

West end of the church with south aisle

North east view of the church

As you get near the church going up the path you will see the village war memorial

The church sits uphill so the churchyard runs down it

Looking east over the churchyard, the path on the right leads to another entrance

Going further east along the path

Chest tombs and headstones near the east end

Some of the tombs look really old around 1700 maybe

This unusual looking headstone could date to the 1600's, you can make out the words but not the date which may be under the ground, The stone is de-laminateing so it will not be long before it is unreadable

Looking north over the east end the tombs here look old and are smaller than the others in the churchyard

Down hill to the south of the church

South near the church

 

 

 Looking downhill towards the churchyard and the  extension further down

Inside the porch the main feature of the church the Norman Doorway with the beakhead carving

The look like they could rival Iffley along with the tympanum

The beakheads on the door pillars

There were people talking when I came in so I had to work around them so did not get a full church view

The chancel arch along with rood screen complete with rood cross

The rood cross

And the painted rood screen, I think the screen and rood date to the middle ages

In the chancel

The window looks like it is in a infilled arch

Took this view in the church after everyone had gone out

The pulpit

First view I took keeping the people out

After they went I took this view of the church

Even wider one

The south aisle has this children's play area for amusing them in a service or as nursery for them during the week

The south aisle

Where you find this alter that has been built as a war memorial

The names of those who did not return listed on this hand written roll of honor

Beside if another one of all of those who served

King George coat of arms

This door leads to the south porch

I've come across a lot of biers lately, this is a more novel use for one

 

I think this is a Norman tub font with cover

With that I will leave you for this week 

Till Next time may I wish you all a peaceful week