Llanfair Kilgeddin
St Mary the Virgin

Near Usk, Monmouthshire

OS: SO 357 087

St Mary's was rebuilt in 1875-6 by the architect John Dando Sedding who carefully reused some of the original fabric and introduced a rich decorative scraffito scheme (pictured right). This has recently been conserved by the Friends, with grants from Cadw and The Pilgrim Trust, in memory of Sir Roy Jenkins.

The work of JD Sedding at Llanfair

In 1885 the Vicar’s wife, Rosamund Lindsay died. Her husband - who had instigated the rebuilding of the church ten years earlier - decided to decorate the interior in her memory. The artist chosen, Heywood Sumner, came from an ecclesiastical family. His father was Bishop of Winchester and his mother the founder of The Mother’s Union. At Llanfair Kilgeddin he introduced sgraffito panels (see above and our home page) to enhance the interior, taking The Benedicite as his theme. This technique, which uses thin layers of different coloured plaster which are cut back to reveal the required colour underneath, was Roman in origin, but had been reintroduced into Britain by Henry Cole at the Victoria and Albert Museum. True to medieval tradition, Sumner included local features in his designs - for example in ‘O Ye Mountains and Hills’ (pictured, left) on the north wall of the nave the nearby River Usk, the Sugar Loaf and Llanvihangel Gobion church tower are all included.

The sixteen sgraffito panels present a remarkably complete example of this style of work, and under the window which depicts “All Ye Beasts’ you will find his initials HS and the date 1888.

What is left of the medieval fabric?

The chancel roof and much of the window tracery are medieval, whilst the 15th century chancel screen and Norman font are survivors from the earlier building.

The north chancel window contains fragments of medieval glass whilst some monuments and floor slabs of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were also incorporated into the rebuilding. In the churchyard is a late medieval cross to which Sedding added a new top.

What happened after the church closed?

By the 1980’s the Parochial Church Council had received several architects reports that made the future of the building look bleak and the church was declared redundant. In order to save this remarkable - and much loved - church, the Friends took it on with the offer of an 100% grant from Cadw towards the essential repairs. A service was held in June 1988 to celebrate the end of the restoration campaign (which had cost far less than the original estimate that had led to its closure). A further programme of consolidation was undertaken in 1994, and another is in progress on the sgraffito panels.

Llanfair Kilgeddin was the venue of the 2001 AGM of the Friends of Friendless Churches. Over one hundred people - including members and many local people - attended. Find out more about how to attend our AGMs by joining the Society.

If you would like to visit the church and need details of keyholders, directions etc, please telephone our office on: 020 7236 3934.

Friends of Friendless Churches is a company limited by guarantee
Company No: 1119137, registered in England.
Registered Office: St Ann's Vestry Hall, 2 Church Entry, London EC4V 5HB.
Registered Charity No: 1113097.