St David, Garthbrengy

The tiny church of Garthbrengy sits just shy of 1,000ft up, on an exposed hillside above the valley of the Rover Honddu, 4 miles north of Brecon. On my visit, the weather was suitably harsh, with cold, thick, drizzle sweeping across the site. 

Unusually for this blog, this church is redundant and has been in private ownership since 2019, although the graveyard on the south side is still accessible and maintained by the Church in Wales. I include it partly as a wonderful example of a Welsh hilltop church, and partly because of my own family links: my Great-great-great grandparents were married there in 1841. At that time, the substantial employment provided by the nearby dairy farms supported a much larger population than now.

Parts of the building may date from the 12th Century, and it is referred to in a taxation roll in 1291. The church has nave and chancel all in one, with a south porch and west tower. Prior to closure, the interior had a mediaeval stoup and font, and there is a stoup in the porch as well. Some sources claim the squat, thick-walled tower as 17th Century on the basis of windows, but these may have been replaced: it is typical of small mediaeval churches in the area - which often had a defensive function for locals in times of trouble. But there were certainly works undertaken in the 17th century and in the 19th century the restoration included the removal of the north aisle, the piers and arches of which remain in the north wall and are in the Perpendicular Gothic style.

Note that the north part of the churchyard is now a garden belonging to the property, which is being converted into a private home. The only part of the site publicly accessible is the graveyard on the south side - though this provides fabulous views south towards Brecon.

St David, Garthbrengy, Powys (1.5m north-east of Llandefaelog fach). 

St Mary, Brecon

St Nicholas, Montgomery

St Llonio, Llandinam

Llandinam is mainly known as the birthplace of David Davies, the industrialist responsible for many of the collieries in the Rhondda Valley and the subsequent development of Barry as a seaport.

But it is also home to a church with an interesting past and dedication, though it is easy to miss, built high on a promontory overlooking the village and the busy A470 road below.

Claimed to have been founded in 520AD, the church served a monastery until the 13th century and was the mother church of Llanidloes and Llanwnnog. However, only the robust 13th century tower, its stair turret and a portion of the north wall survive from the mediaeval period, the rest being a thorough 19th century rebuild in 1864-5 by G.E Street. 

The tower itself has a quaint, small window on the stair turret (which effectively forms a buttress on the north-west corner). Other mediaeval fragments include tomb recesses and a piscina in the chancel, and the inner arch from the porch into the tower, and the 14th century tower arch itself. The main body of the church has a large south aisle and a darkly atmospheric chancel (thanks to some heavy Victorian stained glass).

St Llonio, Llandinam SY17 5BY