Friends of Friendless Churches
@friendlesschurches.bsky.social
We are the Friends of Friendless Churches — we rescue, repair & protect historic ‘closed’ places of worship in England & Wales.
Since 1999, St Ellyw's, Llanelieu has been in our care. This small church is noted for its breathtaking 14th century rood screen and loft.
📷 Interior of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
📷 Interior of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Since 1999, St Ellyw's, Llanelieu has been in our care. This small church is noted for its breathtaking 14th century rood screen and loft.
📷 Interior of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
📷 Interior of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
Meanwhile, the Church of England proclaimed that it was divine punishment for the sins of the nation, with the storm famously claiming the life of the Bishop of Wells - a chimney stack collapsed on him while a sleep in his palace.
📷 Altar at St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
📷 Altar at St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Meanwhile, the Church of England proclaimed that it was divine punishment for the sins of the nation, with the storm famously claiming the life of the Bishop of Wells - a chimney stack collapsed on him while a sleep in his palace.
📷 Altar at St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
📷 Altar at St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
The destruction caused by the storm was recorded by Daniel Defoe. He thought that it was divine punishment for Britain’s poor performance against Catholic France and Spain during War of Spanish Succession.
📷 Royal Arms inside St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
📷 Royal Arms inside St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 AM
The destruction caused by the storm was recorded by Daniel Defoe. He thought that it was divine punishment for Britain’s poor performance against Catholic France and Spain during War of Spanish Succession.
📷 Royal Arms inside St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
📷 Royal Arms inside St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
The “Great Storm of 1703” caused extensive destruction across Britain: ships sank, chimneys collapsed, ancient oaks fell, and roofs were down off.
📷 Bellcote of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
📷 Bellcote of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 AM
The “Great Storm of 1703” caused extensive destruction across Britain: ships sank, chimneys collapsed, ancient oaks fell, and roofs were down off.
📷 Bellcote of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
📷 Bellcote of St Ellyw's, Llanelieu
This incident wasn’t an act of magic, it was the result of the sheer force of nature as a category 2 hurricane tore its way across Britain on the 26th November 1703.
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
November 26, 2025 at 8:00 AM
This incident wasn’t an act of magic, it was the result of the sheer force of nature as a category 2 hurricane tore its way across Britain on the 26th November 1703.
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
In November 1703, a woman and her child in Llanelieu, Powys, were “blown away by the Wind…taken up in the Air two or three yards, and very much Wounded and Bruised by the Fall."
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
November 26, 2025 at 8:00 AM
In November 1703, a woman and her child in Llanelieu, Powys, were “blown away by the Wind…taken up in the Air two or three yards, and very much Wounded and Bruised by the Fall."
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
📷 St Ellyw's, Llanelieu, Powys
This window is the work of Alexander Gibbs, who collaborated with William Butterfield on many mid-19th century churches, including the fabulous All Saints, Margaret Street in London.
November 24, 2025 at 5:06 PM
This window is the work of Alexander Gibbs, who collaborated with William Butterfield on many mid-19th century churches, including the fabulous All Saints, Margaret Street in London.
The stunning floral stained glass window on the south side of the nave was installed ‘In affectionate memory of James & Susanna King by their surviving children - June 24th, 1863’. A tenant farmer of Downing College, Cambridge, James King farmed land in the neighbouring parish of Croydon.
November 24, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The stunning floral stained glass window on the south side of the nave was installed ‘In affectionate memory of James & Susanna King by their surviving children - June 24th, 1863’. A tenant farmer of Downing College, Cambridge, James King farmed land in the neighbouring parish of Croydon.
Of course, there are qualifications to that - what you do with the land after demolition, and the total cost of the repairs - but to me, this clearly sets the tone for what this Government values.
Infographic in video sourced from Historic England website.
📷 St James's, Llangua, Monmouthshire
Infographic in video sourced from Historic England website.
📷 St James's, Llangua, Monmouthshire
November 22, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Of course, there are qualifications to that - what you do with the land after demolition, and the total cost of the repairs - but to me, this clearly sets the tone for what this Government values.
Infographic in video sourced from Historic England website.
📷 St James's, Llangua, Monmouthshire
Infographic in video sourced from Historic England website.
📷 St James's, Llangua, Monmouthshire
In the UK, you could demolish a church VAT-free, but if you wanted to repair that church, you would have to pay VAT.
November 22, 2025 at 10:01 AM
In the UK, you could demolish a church VAT-free, but if you wanted to repair that church, you would have to pay VAT.
The working party pre-empted 20 weeks of repairs to this medieval church by our contractors, Cardigan Bay Architectural Conservation Ltd.
November 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
The working party pre-empted 20 weeks of repairs to this medieval church by our contractors, Cardigan Bay Architectural Conservation Ltd.
In September, we hosted our first-ever working party at St Michael’s, Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, showcasing the skills that are needed to repair a historic church.
November 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
In September, we hosted our first-ever working party at St Michael’s, Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, showcasing the skills that are needed to repair a historic church.
The flood waters have left the interior of St James’s covered in a layer of muddy slit. Therefore, as the church currently closed for a clean-up, please do not plan to visit over the next few days. We will let you know when the church has reopened.
November 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The flood waters have left the interior of St James’s covered in a layer of muddy slit. Therefore, as the church currently closed for a clean-up, please do not plan to visit over the next few days. We will let you know when the church has reopened.
Over the weekend, the River Monnow reached unprecedented levels due to Storm Claudia. St James’s, Llangua is situated on the banks of the Monnow and has resultantly suffered from flooding.
November 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Over the weekend, the River Monnow reached unprecedented levels due to Storm Claudia. St James’s, Llangua is situated on the banks of the Monnow and has resultantly suffered from flooding.
St James’s, Llangua, Monmouthshire closed due to flooding.
November 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
St James’s, Llangua, Monmouthshire closed due to flooding.
As a member, your loved one will receive access to our 71 churches and one of our membership packs, including our beloved biannual magazine alongside a special visitors’ guide to our churches, and postcards highlighting some of our favourites.
November 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
As a member, your loved one will receive access to our 71 churches and one of our membership packs, including our beloved biannual magazine alongside a special visitors’ guide to our churches, and postcards highlighting some of our favourites.
You can directly support our work saving and repairing historic churches like St Denis’s. Every membership creates a lifeline for buildings that have witnessed generations of life, have shaped communities, and continue to offer unparalleled historic insights.
📷 © Adrian Powter
📷 © Adrian Powter
November 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
You can directly support our work saving and repairing historic churches like St Denis’s. Every membership creates a lifeline for buildings that have witnessed generations of life, have shaped communities, and continue to offer unparalleled historic insights.
📷 © Adrian Powter
📷 © Adrian Powter
If someone in your life is enchanted by stories such as this one, or simply appreciates the tangible history of quiet, old buildings, please consider purchasing a Gift Membership this holiday season.
📷 © Adrian Powter
📷 © Adrian Powter
November 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
If someone in your life is enchanted by stories such as this one, or simply appreciates the tangible history of quiet, old buildings, please consider purchasing a Gift Membership this holiday season.
📷 © Adrian Powter
📷 © Adrian Powter
Currently, we are working with stained glass artist Aidan McRae Thomson to create a new east window, whilst incorporating these precious fragments. Next year, we will be celebrating the unveiling of this new stained glass window amongst our other repairs.
November 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Currently, we are working with stained glass artist Aidan McRae Thomson to create a new east window, whilst incorporating these precious fragments. Next year, we will be celebrating the unveiling of this new stained glass window amongst our other repairs.
However, there are still outstanding repairs, most notably to the east window. In 2018, a local gave us some stained-glass fragments from the old window which he discovered in the churchyard in 1985.
November 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
However, there are still outstanding repairs, most notably to the east window. In 2018, a local gave us some stained-glass fragments from the old window which he discovered in the churchyard in 1985.
The Friends took on the church in 2016 and have carried out further repairs to the building. Among other things, we have restored most of the glazing, re-instated the floorboards, stabilised the paint scheme and tiles in the chancel, and restored plaster to the nave.
November 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The Friends took on the church in 2016 and have carried out further repairs to the building. Among other things, we have restored most of the glazing, re-instated the floorboards, stabilised the paint scheme and tiles in the chancel, and restored plaster to the nave.
In the 20th century, St Denis’s fell into disrepair and was finally abandoned in 1961. By the 1980s, the church had been stripped and was covered in mountains of undergrowth. In the early 2000s, the council, English Heritage, and the local community carried out vital repairs.
November 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
In the 20th century, St Denis’s fell into disrepair and was finally abandoned in 1961. By the 1980s, the church had been stripped and was covered in mountains of undergrowth. In the early 2000s, the council, English Heritage, and the local community carried out vital repairs.
There isn’t much inside this quaint rural church besides a stone font and cast-iron Tortoise stove. Although now defunct, it’s easy to imagine this Victorian Portway stove filling this church with heat on cold Christmases long ago.
📷 © Adrian Powter
📷 © Adrian Powter
November 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
There isn’t much inside this quaint rural church besides a stone font and cast-iron Tortoise stove. Although now defunct, it’s easy to imagine this Victorian Portway stove filling this church with heat on cold Christmases long ago.
📷 © Adrian Powter
📷 © Adrian Powter
How can you help us save and repair churches this Christmas?
Looking very wintery in this photograph, St Denis’s, East Hatley in Cambridgeshire is an exemplary Friendless Church.
📷 © Peter Mann
Looking very wintery in this photograph, St Denis’s, East Hatley in Cambridgeshire is an exemplary Friendless Church.
📷 © Peter Mann
November 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
How can you help us save and repair churches this Christmas?
Looking very wintery in this photograph, St Denis’s, East Hatley in Cambridgeshire is an exemplary Friendless Church.
📷 © Peter Mann
Looking very wintery in this photograph, St Denis’s, East Hatley in Cambridgeshire is an exemplary Friendless Church.
📷 © Peter Mann
Thus, we want to do everything possible to protect the wonderful Georgian box pews inside this Pembrokeshire church. Therefore, Eric Barnes-Green of Seion Church & Chapel Maintenance has helped protect the church from flooding by placing sandbags around the doors.
November 13, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Thus, we want to do everything possible to protect the wonderful Georgian box pews inside this Pembrokeshire church. Therefore, Eric Barnes-Green of Seion Church & Chapel Maintenance has helped protect the church from flooding by placing sandbags around the doors.