Church of St Mary the Virgin, Llanfair Kilgeddin

St Mary the Virgin, Llanfair Kilgeddin
St Mary the Virgin
Location Monmouth, Monmouthshire
Country Wales
Denomination Church in Wales
History
Status Inactive
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade I listed building
Designated 9 January 1956
Years built late 13th/early 14th century
Closed 1989
Administration
Diocese Monmouth

St Mary the Virgin is the parish church for Llanfair Kilgeddin, near Usk in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is a Grade I listed building, notable for its significant Arts and Crafts interior.

History and architecture

The church is located on farmland close to the river, about 1 mile north of the village. It was originally medieval but was rebuilt in 1875–76 by the architect John Dando Sedding,[1] commissioned by the local rector, Rev. William John Coussmaker Lindsay (1832–1912).[2] The church now contains some mediaeval features including a font, but is best known for its Arts and Crafts style sgraffito decorations which cover the interior walls.[3] These were commissioned by Lindsay at a cost of £500 in memory of his wife Rosamund, and designed by Heywood Sumner.[4] Taking the Benedicite as his theme, Sumner used thin layers of different coloured plaster cut back to reveal colour underneath. His designs included local features, including the River Usk, the Sugar Loaf and nearby Llanvihangel Gobion church tower.[5] Sumner's work was completed in 1888.[6]

In the 1980s, the church was declared redundant and threatened with demolition.[5] It was vested in the charity the Friends of Friendless Churches in 1989, and the charity has held the freehold since 22 November 1989.[7] The charity was supported by the Victorian Society and received financial support from Cadw and the Pilgrim Trust.[5] The wall paintings were restored in 2006-07 in memory of Roy Jenkins.[8] The architectural historian John Newman wrote of Sumner's decoration; "it should make Llanfair Kilgeddin a place of pilgrimage for disciples of the Arts and Crafts movement".[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ "St Mary The Virgin Church;Llanfair Cilgedin | Site Details". Coflein. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  2. ↑ Rev. Lindsay at thePeerage.com
  3. ↑ Jenkins 2008, pp. 186-7.
  4. ↑ Kelly's Directory 1901: Llanfair Kilgeddin
  5. 1 2 3 "Llanfair Kilgeddin". Friends of Friendless Churches. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  6. 1 2 Newman 2000, p. 284.
  7. ↑ Saunders 2010, pp. 60-2.
  8. ↑ "Llanfair Kilgeddin". Friends of Friendless Churches. Retrieved 2017-08-12.

Sources

  • Jenkins, Simon (2008). Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-713-99893-1.
  • Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071053-1.
  • Saunders, Matthew (2010). Saving Churches:Friends of Friendless Churches - the First 50 Years. London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN 9780711231542.

Coordinates: 51°46′23″N 2°56′06″W / 51.7731°N 2.9350°W / 51.7731; -2.9350

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