Historic Churches 2023

28 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON H ISTOR I C CHURCHE S 30th ANNUAL ED ITION LLEFA’R CERRIG A strategic project in northwest Wales to save five of Britain’s earliest Christian sites Janet Gough A NCIENT CHURCHES dot the northwest Welsh coast whispering stories of early Christianity and the history of Wales and Welsh identity. They are among the oldest continuously inhabited Christian places of worship in the British Isles, where Christianity clung on after the withdrawal of the Romans from these shores in the 5th century. To help secure their future in the 21st century, the Diocese of Bangor set up Llefa’r Cerrig or Stones Shout Out at a cost estimated at over £10 million. The project’s aims are to preserve and develop these beautiful historic churches, to proclaim the faith, ensure sustainable futures, welcome all inclusively, better serve the community and celebrate their stories. ACTING STRATEGICALLY The current model, where often tiny congregations are wholly responsible for major historic churches, means many are struggling and at risk. The Church in Wales has already introduced more strategic structures to support church communities by grouping parishes into ministry areas led by a ministry area leader and, crucially for buildings, one inspecting architect. For the Diocese of Bangor the result is that 175 churches serving the 200,000 permanent residents are now grouped into 27 ministry areas. In 2020 the Diocese of Bangor went further and identified five Grade I listed churches, significant for both their heritage value to the nation and their mission – their strategic value to the church and the Christian community. These were selected to participate in a strategic programme of conservation, re-ordering and new build called Llefa’r Cerrig, a partnership between the diocese and five individual ministry areas. The five churches initially identified are: St Cybi’s, Holyhead which dates from the 6th century and is built into the Roman wall of this Anglesey port town. Bangor Cathedral , where St Deiniol established his clas or monastic mission enclosed by a bangor or wattle fence in 525, is now at the centre of this university town and celebrates its millennium-and-a-half anniversary in 2025. St Beuno’s, Clynnog Fawr with its attached chapel under which the saint and his followers is said to be buried, and with its adjacent holy well, is on the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way at the start of the Llŷn Peninsula. Simon Jenkins lists it in his top thirty in his book Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles. St Mary’s, Conwy is a former 12th century Cistercian abbey church with a 16th century wooden fan-vaulted screen commemorating the proxy marriage of Prince Arthur and Katherine of Aragon, and is now at the heart of this walled world heritage town beside Edward I’s castle. St Cadfan’s, Tywyn was founded in the 6th century by the saint responsible for the pilgrimage destination on Bardsey Island and is home to the Cadfan stone. Between autumn 2020 and spring 2021 a masterplan was worked up by Bangor Diocese, the five ministry area leaders, their inspecting architects, a carbon energy expert and a quantity surveyor. Cadw, the Church in Wales, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust and many others were consulted, alongside a useful session with the Project Pilgrim team at Gloucester Cathedral. By the spring of 2021 a first draft Llefa’r Cerrig masterplan was produced for consultation with stakeholders. The masterplan sought common themes and specific solutions that would help individual churches to create a more resilient church that was in better condition and more inclusive, to improve their local areas to live in and visit, to enhance their church’s environmental sustainability, and to leave it better explained and better linked to their communities. The architects were encouraged to be creative, drawing on inspiring examples from other heritage sectors across the country. These included the Churches Conservation Trust’s ‘champing’ scheme which provides overnight accommodation in churches; the Landmark Trust’s addition of top-end accommodation in two towers attached to one church, Llefa’r Cerrig/Stones Shout Out project map, showing the five churches and the pererin (pilgrimage routes), including the newly recreated Llwybr Cadfan which links Eglwys Cadfan Sant (St Cadfan Church) in Tywyn with Eglwys Hywyn Sant (St Hywyn Church) in Aberdaron. (Photo: Esgobaeth/Diocese of Bangor)