The Friends of Friendless Churches is repairing the ancient church at Llangua, near Grosmont, Monmouthshire. And in October they are giving people the unique chance to go behind the scenes, and even up to the roof, to discover first-hand the challenging work of repairing and conserving a medieval church.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see inside the structure of the 15th-century ‘wagon’ roofs while complex repairs are taking place, and to meet the experts leading the project.
On Friday 11 October visitors will go Behind the Scenes at Llangua Church to see the work in progress on site and to meet the FoFC team (including director Rachel Morley) and the experts helping us to bring this church back from the brink (architect, archaeologist, ecologist and specialist contractors). The morning session (10am-1pm) and afternoon session (2pm-5pm) will include tours and talks, plus demonstrations of traditional building and repair techniques. Attendees will also have exclusive scaffold access to see the roof structure and repairs first-hand.
On Saturday 12 October visitors will be able to get hands-on at a Practical Day at Llangua Church — a chance to learn about and try out practical craft skills alongside the live repair project. Hands-on experiences will include applying pointing mortar and plaster, assessing and grading stone tiles, and taking a detailed look at the historic roof structure.
Visitor numbers are strictly limited to ensure safety and access.
The little church at Llangua has a huge legacy: it played a pivotal role Britain’s 20th-century historic building conservation movement. In 1954-5, the Welsh politician, journalist and polymath Ivor Bulmer-Thomas restored the church in memory of his young wife Dilys, who had tragically died after childbirth. Two years later his passion for protecting the nation’s ecclesiastical heritage led him to found the Friends of Friendless Churches, which in turn inspired the creation of numerous other heritage organisations.
In 2020 St James’s, Llangua became redundant (closed for regular worship) and was in a precarious state, with its medieval wagon roofs on the brink of total collapse. In 2023 the FoFC was awarded a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) and in July 2024 we received a second grant of £30,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation. Thanks to these grants, and the support of our members and donors, we have been able to save this ancient and much-loved church in the nick of time.
Since April 2024 the group have been repairing this medieval church, starting with the roofs. The extensive programme of repairs to the entire building, inside and out, is expected to be completed by May 2025. St James’s will then be open to visitors and available for use by the community once again.
The church of St James’s, Llangua, built of Old Red Sandstone in a bend in the river Monnow, was once dedicated to the local female saint Ciwa. An earlier building was gifted to a Benedictine monastery in Normandy prior to the Conquest of Gwent (from 1066). The oldest fabric of the present building dates to the 12th century, including the font, with most of the building dating from the 14th-15th centuries. The two magnificent wagon roofs were probably constructed between 1475 and 1525.
The Friends of Friendless Churches (FoFC) was set up in 1957 to save disused but beautiful old places of worship of architectural and historical interest from demolition, decay, and unsympathetic conversion. Working across England and Wales, this independent, non-denominational charity cares for more than 60 redundant places of worship — including the church at Llangattock-vibon-avel— and takes more into its care each year.