St Silin's Church

St Silin’s Church stands in the village of Llansilin on the Welsh Marches near the England–Wales border. The present building mixes 13th-century stone with older wooden parts from a much earlier Christian site. It is dedicated to Saint Silin, also known as Saint Sulien, a 6th-century founder-abbot from Cornwall. The church has witnessed centuries of change, from Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion to the English Civil War. Its south door still carries musket and rifle marks from both sides in that conflict. The church is worth the journey because it is the only parish on the border that chose to leave the Church of England in 1916. After a second referendum, Llansilin voted 255 to 228 to join the new Church in Wales. This makes it unique: a small part of England where the Church in Wales holds jurisdiction. The building itself is Grade I listed for its fine medieval fabric and careful 19th-century restoration. Inside, visitors find a nave rebuilt in stone after damage in Glyndŵr’s time. A 13th-century lancet window remains from the original structure. The south door still shows the bullet holes from the Civil War. Above, a stone tower replaced a wooden spire burned down in the 1800s. The churchyard and surrounding lanes offer quiet views across the border landscape.