St Illtyd's

St Illtyd's church is without doubt the oldest standing building within the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent. Although currently dedicated to St Illtyd, the original dedication of the church was to St. Heledd or Hyledd, as evidenced by parish lists of the 16th and 17th centuries (Baring-Gould 1911, 254). This gave the place-name Llanhyledd of which Llanhilleth is an anglicised form. Brynithel is probably a variant of Brynhyledd and not to be connected with the death of King Ithel of Gwent in 848 AD, which took place at Aberysgir in Powys (Jones 1952, 135).

The Restoration of St Illtyd's Church Llanhilleth, Gwent

with the kind permission of  Graham Frecknall architect.

PROJECT DETAILS
Tucked away from the main valley in an idyllic hillside setting, the old church of St Illtyd had deteriorated into a ruin. With the help of the local authority, a determined group of individuals who called themselves the Friends of St Illtyd set out to save the 800-year old church - the oldest in Northern Gwent. Their efforts have brought the building back to its original condition.

As importantly as the restoration of the fabric, they have given the building a new life, not just as a tourist attraction but also with a lively programme of secular events, acting as a focus for the local community and interested visitors.

It was reported that Graham Frecknall Architecture and Design refurbished the exterior and interior of the church, with loving care and painstaking attention to detail. Original materials were used throughout and a major structural problem with the roof was solved by placing a new concrete ring beam around the church, but hidden within the walls so that only the original wooden cradle ceiling can be seen on the inside and the external stone finish on the outside. The project received a Prince of Wales award and a Civic Trust commendation.

The Award Judges were impressed with the spirit of co-operation between the local authority, statutory bodies and, most particularly, the dedicated individuals who make up the 'Friends of St Illtyd'. They have not only rescued a unique and attractive building within the valley's environment but given it a new purpose and life. Future generations of tourists will find this lovely old building within its ancient historical setting, which pre-dates Christian times with traces of pagan archaeological remains.

Please see link for further information.

Graham Frecknall Achitecture and Design