St Cadoc's Church

St Cadoc’s Church stands in the small hamlet of Cheriton on the northern edge of the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Built in the 13th century, it replaced an earlier church on the same site within the manor of Landimore. Restoration work took place twice in the 19th century and again in 1934. The font may have come from the abandoned medieval church, lost to the advancing sea. Locals sometimes call it ‘The Cathedral of Gower’ for its grand appearance in such a quiet place. The first church here was founded around 1165 by Payn de Turberville, who gave it to the Knights Hospitallers of St John at Slebech. The name Cheriton means ‘church town’, though it now refers to the newer building. The present church has a distinctive saddleback roof designed for defence. Inside, medieval wall paintings once covered the walls with scriptural quotations and vine-leaf patterns before they were removed in Victorian times. Maps from the 18th century show the church near a now vanished mill and a demolished mansion called Great House. Visitors find a plain but solid stone church with a quiet presence. The saddleback roof and simple lines give it a dignified look. Though the medieval paintings are gone, the building’s history remains in its structure and furnishings. The font, possibly rescued from the lost church, still stands at the west end. Outside, the surrounding hamlet is peaceful, with only a few houses and open fields nearby. The sea once claimed the earlier church, adding a layer of memory to the place.