How to Contact
the You can 1. Write 2. Phone 3. Email 4. Leave a Message More information on St Illtyd 1. Friend's Home Click Here 2. St Illtyd- A history Click here for The Foreward 3. Illtyd Essay Click Here 4. Jan 1st 2000 Click Here Other related information 1. Blaenau Gwent's website 2. Llanhilleth 1. Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire,1901 2. Postcards from BGBC
3. BGBC tourism pages
4. Abertillery on line
5. Panoramio
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** St Illtyd Event News **
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"A small but ancient gothic building."
Historic Background Recent History The Church remained in service until 1957 when it was closed due to opencast coal working in the vicinity. When this came to an end in 1962 it was found that the building had badly decayed. The Church in Wales decided to close the Church permanently because of the poor state of repair and dwindling attendances. The building passed into private ownership in 1984. The Borough Council became increasingly concerned with the state of the Church and subsequently used statutory powers to acquire it. The Renovation The Borough urgently set about a programme of restoration, with financial assistance from Cadw. Specialist architects and builders were employed to carry out the work, and trained archaeologists were brought in to excavate the floor of the Church. This work resulted in the discovery of a brick-built underfloor heating duct (1890); a low stone wall (possibly the base of a rood screen); parts of two inscribed grave stones; a quantity of disarticulated human bones and a number of undisturbed graves two of which were fully excavated (the others were buried at a depth which would not be disturbed by the new floor). All human remains were reburied within the Churchyard. Once the excavation was complete, the renovation work began. It was decided to use traditional methods and materials wherever possible, and when more modern techniques had to be used they were incorporated into the framework of the building in the most unobtrusive manner possible. One example of this is a concrete girdle inserted within the existing fabric of the building to stop the weight of the roof from forcing the walls apart. Now the Church is a focal point for visitors to this, one of the most interesting and intriguing areas of the Borough: for the Church is only part of what is on offer. St Illtyd, The village To the south-west of this site is an ancient mound which is on private land but can be viewed from the road. Many theories and stories have evolved to explain its existence; some say it is a Norman motte, others that it is the grave of a warrior or a beacon mound. One legend accredits it to local giant named Ithel who was in the area collecting stones in his apron with which to build a residence at Llanhilleth. As he passed this site his apron strings broke and the stones tumbled to the ground forming the heap. At the rear of Castle Cottages are the remains of two buildings, one circular and one cruciform in shape. These were excavated by Trevor Lewis in the 1920's and he interpreted them as being fortified medieval buildings. The name given to these - Castell Taliorum, probably derived from Castel Tal y Rhun (the castle in front of the head). However, Archdeacon Coxe (1801) imagined the name as being indicative of a Roman fortification. No archaeological evidence has ever been found which supports this claim. Local legend does link the area to the Romans, claiming that they walked along the ridge to and from Caerleon during their attempts to subjugate the Welsh, but this has yet to be proved, or disproved for that matter. Whatever the truth of the above, there is no doubt that drovers have crossed the mountain near to this spot for many centuries, and their tracks form the basis of the many footpaths which explore the mountain spur.
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Why not visit St Illtyd ? |
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The Friends open St. Illtyds to visitors on Sunday
afternoons from Easter to the end of September between 2
p.m. and 5 p.m. Please contact us in advance, if you are travelling a long distance to visit us, as very occasionally our team of volunteers are not able to cover one or both of a particular Sunday afternoon's sessions. The building is also available as a venue for concerts and events. Visits can be arranged for larger groups at other times by appointment.
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Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
Click here to visit Wales tourist board site. Click here to see a scan of our constitution. |
What do we do ?
The aims of the Friends are:- 1. Care 2. Share 3. Promote 4. Understand |