St Cewydd's Church, Aberedw

 Aberedw Church -  The porch is really pretty with a solid oak fret.  Musicians once sat here to provide the accompaniment for dancing which took place in the church green outside.  It is dedicated to St Cewydd - the Welsh equivalent of St Swithun - who was a 6th C saint, and son of a Celtic Chieftain called Caw.  St Cewydd is also patron of the church at Disserth, near Howey, and at Cusop, on the edge of Hay-on-Wye.   Interestingly, some 200 skeletons were found on the north-east side of the church, dating from around the middle ages.  The earliest elements of the church date from around the 14th C, and the Nave and Chancel date from around 15th - 16th C. Like many of its contemporaries, it underwent a dramatic remodelling in Victorian times.  It is believed that what later became Llewllyn's Cave, was St Cewydd's hermitage . . .

 Kilvert was greatly enamoured of Aberedw - he loved the train journey on the old - extinct now - thanks to Dr Beeching - Mid-Wales railway, as it followed the Wye river valley and the towering rocks above it (Tam and I were somewhat taken by it too).

    Here he is in full flow: 

"Oh, Aberedw, Aberedw.  Would God I might dwell and die by thee.  Memory enters in and brings back the old time in a clear vision and waking dream, and again I descent from the high moor's half encircling sweep and listen to the distant murmur of the river as it foams down the ravine from its home in the Green Cwm and its cradle in the hills.  Once more I stand by the riverside and look up at the cliff castle towers and mark the wild roses swinging from the crag and watch the green woods waving and shimmering with a twinkling dazzle as they rustle in the breeze and shining of the summer afternoon, while here and there a grey crag peeps from among the tufted trees." 

Internally, the church has an unusual late (16th C) medieval rood screen.  Notre barrel roof.

Below: the font.

As you can see, those pesky Baskervilles got about a bit.

A pensive Mary with Jesus (degradation of this has given them both a beard . . .) A rather eerie hand of Jesus is by her chin.

Here's another warning along the lines of "Reader, prepare to die!" - "When on this Stone you cast your Eye, Think of your Own Mortality, Remember me you follow must, And lie as I do in the Dust."  You have been warned:

St Cweydd and St Teilo beautifully rendered in stained glass, windows in memory of William Thomas Rees of Pontshone. I think was the lovely house with the open garden Tam and I went to when we first moved here.

A rather Arts & Crafts style pulpit.

These flutes belonged to the late William WIlliams of Hendre (1822 - 1897) who played them in Aberedw Church.

Inside the porch, this memorial and below, unknown who died in 1604.

My stye is hopefully improving now - I have been bathing it with hot water and this morning woke up with my eye glued shut with pus.  It isn't so sore today and hasn't needed bathing every couple of hours.

I had a nice cool walk and picked some blackberries and took photos of the most amazing skyscapes (new header for one).  I peeled some windfall cooking apples Pam gave me and stewed them up with the blackberries, so we will have a pie tomorrow.

I have listened to more of the Rest is History podcasts about the Georgian period, in particular Samuel Johnson and James Boswell.  It made for very interesting listening and a change for the six episodes about Elizabeth I and the intrigues and Cold War in her time, which was fascinating.  TV - A House Through Time was very enjoyable and what a lovely historic building it is (in Edinburgh).  Reading: Joy Ellis - Shadow over the Fens.

We had a very heavy shower before tea so I won't need to water round outside this evening now.  I managed to do a little bit of weeding in the garden after my walk, and have done a little bit on Rosie's dress, but it's like wrestling a conger eel . . . the bits end up where they are not meant to be!

Have a lovely weekend all.