Further Funding Awarded for Project to Save Former Church for Community Use

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is delighted to announce that is has awarded a Project Development Grant to the Village Alive Trust for a project to breathe new life into a disused former church. This was one of four awards made in the latest grants meeting, where projects ranging geographically from Redruth in Cornwall to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute were offered funding totalling £40,114.

Situated within a large churchyard in Llanarth, Monmouthshire, St Teilo’s Church is a predominantly medieval Grade II*-listed building, with renovations in 1835/36 to the chancel, nave and prominent three-storey tower. The church, which is a rare example of Gothic style architecture in Wales, also features a pitched stone roof, stone mullioned windows, and a single stained-glass window produced by Celtic Studios in 1969. Due to its condition and the high cost of essential repairs, the church has been closed to the public since 2013.

The Village Alive Trust aims are to preserve the historical, architectural and constructional heritage in and around Monmouthshire. Its vision for this particular project is to conserve the historic St Teilo’s Church for a variety of community uses. The nave is planned to become a flexible, open space for community activities, with a focus on wellbeing and mental health support services. This space will also accommodate events, such as performances, exhibitions, festivals and occasional services, as well as a small café and a secure parcel collection and drop-off point. The chancel will be used as a Columbarium for the storage of ashes of people of all faiths and none; a glass screen will separate this area from the main nave, giving families a chance to visit and pay their respects in a quiet sanctuary. There will also be green burials in the churchyard.

Once the church has been restored, the Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers wish to rehang St Teilo’s bells, which are currently in storage, and set up a bell ringing school in the tower to serve both south Wales and southern England.

The AHF first supported the Village Alive Trust with a Project Viability Grant in 2019 towards exploring the feasibility of this project. A Project Development Grant was subsequently awarded in 2023, enabling the Trust to commission a consortium of consultants to produce a business plan, a sustainable energy plan, and to develop architectural plans to RIBA Stage 4. To complement this development work, which is now nearing completion, the new AHF grant will help the Trust to appoint an ecologist to complete bat surveys.