Hidden Art Nouveau Treasure - St Mary’s Church, Llanfair Kilgeddin

Note: in case you think you have read this before, it's because I'm including this introduction on all of these related posts!! This blog is the second of a series of four, inspired on a warm Easter Bank Holiday Monday this April,  when we combined a leisurely riverside picnic at Pant-y-Goitre with a mini churches tour. The tour was ‘mini’ in distance (the churches are all within a radius of 2-3 miles) and number, three, but also ‘mini’ in the size of the tiny country churches visited. I have said it before when writing, I’m not someone who goes to church very regularly, or feels that you have to be inside a designated building to demonstrate your moral values or experience a sense of spirituality. However, I do think there is something very special about the small country churches of Monmouthshire, there are so many of these beautiful, ancient buildings located in stunning scenery. It’s a sad fact that many churches today are kept locked for fear of theft or vandalism, but in most, key holder details are displayed so you can contact them to gain access outside service times. Visiting them at any time of the year is a delight, but in spring with fresh leaves unfurling, blossom, wildflowers and nesting birds, bees and butterflies abounding in their graveyards and surrounding fields and hedgerows, I think they are extra special, peaceful places for quiet contemplation both inside and out, but judge for yourself over my next few posts and better still, if you like what you see, visit!

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Llanfair Kilgeddin

The setting of this little church is beautiful, quiet and secluded, tucked away, surrounded by soft green countryside near the River Usk, up a small lane opposite the entrance to Pant-y-Goitre House which was the subject of my first post in this series.


A listed building, the original church dates from medieval times and was built on the site of a hermit's cell, the font is purported to be Norman and the chancel screen is 15th century. Extensive rebuilding was commissioned in 1875-76 by Rev. William John Coussmaker Lindsay who appointed architect John Dando Sedding to carry out the work incorporating the earlier structure. There is a twin bell tower and in the church yard are the remains of a late medieval cross to which Sedding added a new top.

Although open to the public, by arrangement,  St Mary's Church is no longer used for regular services and is owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches.

Pretty as the exterior of St Mary's is, a true hidden gem lies within the tiny church itself. When you enter the church you cannot fail to be amazed by the series of truly wonderful Sgraffito panels which cover all the walls of the main church with illustrated texts from the Benedicite. The work was commissioned by Rev Lindsay to commemorate his wife Rosamund Emily Lindsay who had died in 1885. You can see the dedication of the work to Rosamund situated adjacent to the pulpit where Revd Lindsay preached as rector of the parish. 

The eminent Arts and Crafts artist Heywood Sumner was appointed to carry out the work and the artist's initials and date can be seen recorded on a roundel under the window depicting 'All Ye Beasts'. Sumner's father was Bishop of Winchester and his mother the founder of The Mother's Union. Sumner applied the Sgraffito technique to create the 16 beautiful art nouveau panels, using thin layers of different coloured plaster, allowed to dry and then cut back to reveal the colours underneath. His designs included local features, Sumner included local features in his designs - for example in 'O Ye Mountains and Hills' on the north wall of the nave the nearby River Usk, the Sugar Loaf and Llanvihangel Gobion church tower are all included. Sumner's work was completed in 1888.

Details of some of the panels - too many to photograph individually

This panel 'Oh Ye Mountains and Hills' shows the nearby River Usk, Sugar Loaf and Blorenge
 and possibly Pen Cerrig Calch or could it be  Pen-y-Fan painted in the far distance?

In the 1980s, St Mary's Church was declared redundant and threatened with demolition, but thanks to the awareness raising actions of local residents, Roger Perkins and Maurice Trumper, was rescued and restored by the Friends of Friendless Churches charity, supported by the Victorian Society and with financial support from CADW and the Pilgrim Trust. The beautiful Sgraffito panels were threatened by cracking, crazing, bulging, staining and delamination caused by moisture and salt movement and a trapping of water between the brittle cement murals and the soft stone wall behind. The £70,000 restoration work involved an intricate programme of stabilisation and repairs to the three layer system, including grouting, micro-pinning and fine surface repairs. 

 Lovely countryside surounds St Mary's Church

More Information

Friends of Friendless Churches

Tel: 020 7236 3934
email: office@friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk

Contact details of key holders are on the board in the church porch or contact Friends of Friendless Churches above for keyholder details.

How to find St Mary's Church Llanfair Kilgeddin
St Mary's Church is situated up a narrow lane running off the B4598 between Usk and Abergavenny. It is signposted opposite/ near the gates to Pant-y-Goitre House.

Three Churches and a Mansion

My next few blog posts were inspired on a warm Easter Bank Holiday Monday this April,  when we combined a leisurely riverside picnic at Pant-y-Goitre with a mini churches tour. The tour was ‘mini’ in distance (the churches are all within a radius of 2-3 miles) and number, three, but also ‘mini’ in the size of the tiny country churches visited. I have said it before when writing, I’m not someone who goes to church very regularly, or feels that you have to be inside a designated building to demonstrate your moral values or experience a sense of spirituality. However, I do think there is something very special about the small country churches of Monmouthshire, there are so many of these beautiful, ancient buildings located in stunning scenery. It’s a sad fact that many churches today are kept locked for fear of theft or vandalism, but in most, key holder details are displayed so you can contact them to gain access outside service times. Visiting them at any time of the year is a delight, but in spring with fresh leaves unfurling, blossom, wildflowers and nesting birds, bees and butterflies abounding in their graveyards and surrounding fields and hedgerows, I think they are extra special, peaceful places for quiet contemplation both inside and out, but judge for yourself over my next few posts and better still, if you like what you see, visit!

The Mansion - Pant-y-Goitre House

The first of my series of Three Churches and a Mansion posts features Pant-y-Goitre, a well-preserved 18th-century Georgian house with landscape park situated on a  slight rise above the River Usk, just off the B4598 between Usk and Abergavenny. Pant-y-Goitre house was constructed in two main phases. First, a red-brick Queen Anne residence built in 1726 on the foundations of a 16th-century house. This was bought in l770 by Thomas Hooper who extended the house and built the large 3-storey N block in l776 in plain Georgian style. The curving orangery on the NW corner of the house was added in the l830s and has recently undergone renovation. Thomas Hooper also probably did  the landscaping of the park after 1770.

Pant-y-Goitre is privately owned and not open to the public but you can stay there as part of a luxury fly fishing tuition package on the River Usk.

Although Pant-y-Goitre House isn't open to the public, you can enjoy seeing the house and parkland from the stunning walks along the public foot paths along the banks on either side of the River Usk here from the stiles on either side of Pant-y-Goitre Bridge. Keep dogs under control - there are usually cattle and sheep in the fields. 

                                                                       Decorative iron gates at Pant-yGoitre

Pant-y-Goitre Bridge which spans the river Usk, near the entrance to Pant-y-Goitre House has a strange look because of holes in the spandrel (the triangular space between two arches). These holes are meant to reduce water pressure on the bridge during flooding.The bridge was designed by John Upton and was built around 1821. 

Having fun picnicking by the river!

This is the first in a series of four blog posts - the next three posts will feature the tiny country churches we visited on the same day as this riverside picnic. St Mary's Church Llanfair Kilgeddin, All Saint's Church Kemys Commander and St David's Church Trostrey.

Look out for these over the next few weeks they have some really fascinating history and hidden secrets to reveal!!

Finding Pant-y-Goitre

Pant-y-Goitre, Llanvair Kilgeddin, Abergavenny, NP7 9BB

Limited parking is on the roadside near the old gates (don't block them), or in lay bys in the adjacent lanes.

A Summer Evening Stroll at Cefn Ila

Due to lots of band bookings and other commitments this summer, my Usk Chirps blog posts may be a little less regular for the next few weeks, so please forgive me for that - come the Autumn when we become corralled inside on cold dark evenings, or wet days, no doubt my posting frequency will rise again!

This is my second post featuring the newly planted woodland at Cefn Ila. To read my original article, which has more detail, history and background of Cefn Ila and this Coed Cadw Woodland planting project click here.

I walk my dog Dewi regularly at Cefn Ila and it has been interesting to observe natures annual cycle from Winter through Spring into Summer.  In contrast to my last article which was written in Winter, the young trees planted on the 72 acre site at Cefn Ila are now in full leaf, cloaking the former open fields and hillside in a lush greeness.

The site is a haven for wildlife. Wildflowers, birds and  butterflies were very much in evidence as I walked this evening in warm sun after a heavy thundery downpour.  There was also plenty of evidence of foxes on the grassy tracks in the form of droppings which Dewi as usual, delighted in rolling in! Thankfully the stream which forms the boundary at the bottom of the site allows me to wash him off before he gets back in the car!

Apart from dealing with an obnoxious smelling dog, my evening stroll at Cefn Ila was very tranquil and relaxing. No people, no cars, no hassle,  just the beauty and sounds of nature - my photos hopefully share some of the general ambience of this lovely summer evening walk.

It's beginning to look like a wood as the deciduous saplings grow into young trees

Comma Butterfly

Small Skipper Butterfly 

Soldier beetle feeding on Common Hogweed 

The delicate, frothy leaves and striking bark of the Silver Birch

The young cherry trees are bearing small fruit - and yes I did try some! Lovely and sweet but plenty left for the birds!!

The old oak tree still standing proud in full leaf on the lower part of the wood

Signs of Autumn already with berries forming

Many lovely grasses and sedges

If you would like to know more about Cefn Ila Wood and how to find it click here to read my original article with directions and links to further information.

Dewi and me enjoying the lovely views across the surrounding, rolling Monmouthshire countryside