Page 37 - Historic Churches 2013

BCD Special Report on Historic Churches 20th annual edition 37 CATHEDRALC O M M U N I C A T I O N S
AWELSH TREASURE
THEMEDIEVAL ROOD SCREENAND
ROOD LOFT AT LLANANNO
Richard Wheeler
The church of St Anno stands beside
the River Ithon, one mile north-west
of Llanbister in Radnorshire. From the
outside it seems unlikely that it might contain
anything ‘worth bicycling 12 miles against the
wind to see’, in Betjeman’s memorable phrase.
And yet, inside stands one of the great treasures
of Welsh church craftsmanship: a late medieval
rood screen and rood loft of c1500, trimmed
with some of the finest carved decoration to
survive anywhere in Wales. The screenwork
is made more interesting still for having seen
the inside of not one but two churches.
During the later Middle Ages (c1300–
1500) almost every church in England and
Wales was furnished with a rood screen. In
the 15th century most rood screens were
The simple interior of St Anno, dominated by its spectacular rood screen