St Jerome's Church

St Jerome’s Church stands in the remote upland hamlet of Llangwm Uchaf in Monmouthshire. Built in the twelfth century in Early English style, it was restored in the nineteenth century by John Pollard Seddon. The church is made of Old Red Sandstone and was first mentioned in 1128. It has a large nave and chancel, a porch, and a tower without buttresses. After falling into ruin, it was rebuilt between 1863 and 1869. The church is now cared for by the Friends of Friendless Churches and is a Grade I listed building. The interior is famous for its late medieval rood screen and loft from around 1500. Described as one of the finest in Britain, the screen rises almost to the roof and is of exceptional richness. The rood screen survived the Puritans because the village was so isolated. Behind the screen are three carved ‘green men’ with foliage sprouting from their mouths. The church also holds Victorian fittings such as the lectern, font, choir stalls and tiling, all designed by Seddon. The churchyard contains the grave of the 17th-century cleric Walter Cradock, born two and a half kilometres to the south. A historian at Swansea University studied a 1671 dispute over seating that led to quarrels and lawsuits. The churchwarden John Gwin settled the matter and his notebook survives, offering rare insight into Welsh parochial life. The church remains a quiet place of worship and history, far from the busier valleys below.