Service Times

Sunday
3:00pm – Evensong (Every 1st and 3rd Sunday)
11:00am – Holy Eucharist (Every 2nd and 4th Sunday)

Accessiblity

Revd. Canon David Williams

Vicar for St Bridget’s Church

revdavidgwilliams@gmail.com
07919 263377

History

Welcome to the Church of St. Bridget of Kildare sometimes spelt and pronounced St. Bride or in Welsh Fraid, hence the name of this place Llansantffraed. Bridget was one of the most influential of the Celtic saints. There has probably been a Christian church on this site since pre- Roman times as the Celtic Church predates the arrival of Augustine of Canterbury by many years.

In the fourteenth century this was the country seat and estate of Sir John Morley. Maud, daughter and heir of John Morley married Thomas ap Gwilym of Perth-hir, who was the fourth son of Gwilym ap Jenkins (or “Herbert”) Many of the famous Herbert family are buried in the church. The original mansion was said to have occupied a position somewhere between the present hotel and Church. Indeed, some of the foundations still remain under what is now the lake. In the latter part of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century the house was occupied by James Green, the M.P. for Arundel who was buried here in 1814. Afterwards it was the residence of the two Bishops of Llandaff, and for many years was the home of Major Edmund Herbert, then the Chief Constable of the County. The main house was totally re-built in 1912, and was completely restored, although some parts of the restaurant date back to 1670. The hotel has been re-furbished and re-named Sant Ffraed House. It is largely now used for weddings. The parish of Llansantffraed is the smallest in the county, consisting only of some 290 acres, with its boundary excluding even the lodge at the entrance from the main road, which is in the parish of Llanarth. During the 17^th century the family took the permanent surname of Jones, and memorials to various members of the family can be seen on the walls of the chancel and nave.

The picture you see here is from a print of a drawing by Sir Richard Hoare, published in March 1800, and shows most noticeably that the church porch and main door were then in the south wall of the church, and that the church once had a west window. In his Quinquennial Report for 1992, the architect Dr. J E C Peters states that in the late 19^th. century the porch ( by then situated on the west wall of the church ) was rebuilt in stone, replacing an earlier one, with slightly higher eaves and a flatter pitch to the roof. The late Richard Kay’s survey of 1962, states that the present western doorway of the church “has a plain wide chamfer with a four centred head, probably very late 15^th. C” This stonework must therefore have been resituated in its present position. Dr. Peters suggests the bellcote could be 17^th or early 18^th Century, though Richard Kay remarks that it “seems to incorporate a lot of the original work of the late 15^th C”.

The font bowl dates from Norman times, though Richard Kay concludes that its stem and base, if ancient, have been recut. It is thought that the foundations of the present building and some of the walling of the nave and chancel probably also date from this period, although the north wall has certainly been partly rebuilt. The nave was completely re-roofed with gabled parapets in the late 19^th century and windows were inserted in the previously unlighted north wall. The small westernmost window in the south wall was also added at that time, partially destroying the blocked southern doorway, traces of which can still be seen in the exterior stonework. Whilst the stonework of the eastern window in the nave’s south wall appears to be of fairly late date, weathering to the inner stone suggests either an older window, or older stone which has been reused. Its present appearance is clearly different from that in Sir Richard Hoare’s drawing.  The chancel arch also dates from the 19^th century and the screen is probably early 20^th. century but incorporating earlier material. “The King’s England- Monmouthshire”, of 1951, mentions “a graceful old chancel screen of pale oak”.

The church would once have had a rood screen, and Richard Kay comments that, “An offset in the North wall of the nave, which is very irregular, and the curious filling of the Internal eastern angles of the nave appear to suggest relics of the vanished rood loft approach and support”. Bradney records that at the time he wrote (around 1906) there was “a press or coffer of oak handsomely carved” which stood in the chancel and was probably made up from portions of the old screen. This has since disappeared and it is thought that material from it may have been incorporated into the present chancel screen Dr. Peters states in his Quinquennial Report: “the surviving tracery in the chancel windows appears to date from the late 15^th or early 16^th century, the mullions having plain chamfers, the windows cinquefoil heads”.  

The chancel roof was probably renewed subsequent to the late 19^th century reroofing of the nave and raised slightly. Both chancel and nave roofs were re-tiled again in the early 1990s, using the best of the earlier stone tiles for the chancel and artificial stone tiles for the nave. Of particular interest within the chancel are the two alabaster panels which have been set into the wall either side of the east window. These still show traces of the bright medieval colours with which they were once painted, and depict the burial and resurrection of Jesus. Bradney states that they probably came from the altar of the church, which was removed in 1786 when repairs were made to the chancel. Such panels are fairly characteristic early 15^th century works and there were schools in York, Nottingham and London producing large quantities of them. However, sculpture of any type is not common in Welsh churches and these pieces would be of special historical interest if they could be proven to have been in the church since pre-Reformation days.

St Bridget’s has an active Mother’s Union. The aim is the advancement of the Christian religion in the sphere of marriage and family life. As a voluntary organisation The Mothers’ Union offers friendship, care and unconditional love to thousands of women and men throughout the world, a lifeline for many families. It is a praying, teaching and caring society. Membership is open to both men and women who have been baptised and who support the Aims and Objects of the Society.

Whilst we love this ancient building it is, of course, the men and women who have loved and served Jesus Christ down the centuries who have been the true “church” in this place. It is our hope that this building will continue to be not only the meeting place for a worshipping body of Christians, but also a place where those who do not yet follow Jesus our Lord may come to hear of Him and know Him.

Where to find us?

From Abergavenny take the B4598, the old Raglan Road, and continue for approx. two and a half miles. Then take a left-hand turn at the signpost to the Sant Ffraed House. Follow this narrow road and you will see the Church on your right-hand side. From Raglan roundabout take the B4598 road sign posted Clytha for three miles. The Sant Ffraed House is sign posted on the right.