St Martin's Church

St Martin’s Church stands on a steep slope in the hamlet of Cwmyoy, Monmouthshire, its 12th-century origins buried beneath later rebuilding. Most of the present building is 13th-century Gothic, with a nave, chancel, south porch and western tower. The church is famous for its dramatic tilt, caused by a landslide that set the tower and chancel moving in opposite directions. Massive tie beams and buttresses, added in the 19th century by J. James Spencer, show how many have tried to keep the building upright. The round-headed north window survives from the 12th century, while the nave roof dates from the late 13th or early 14th. The church is known as ‘the crooked church’ and has been called the most crooked in Britain. Simon Jenkins compared standing inside to being on a galleon’s deck in a storm, with the chancel visibly sliding away. Fred Hando, the Monmouthshire writer, saw the tilt as deliberate, comparing the nave to Christ’s body and the fallen chancel to his head. The rood screen is praised as a remarkable piece of craftsmanship, and the tower contains six bells cast between 1672 and 1722, though they cannot be rung safely today. Inside, visitors find the uneven floor and leaning walls still plainly visible. A stone cross from the 11th or 12th century stands in the nave, once venerated by pilgrims heading to St David’s Cathedral. The churchyard holds a modern purple slate gravestone marking the grave of the racing driver Arthur Denys Gill. The preaching cross outside is a scheduled ancient monument, and the church remains an active parish church with Sunday services.