Church of St Aeddan, Bettws Newydd

Church of St Aeddan
Church of St Aeddan Location in Monmouthshire
51°44′52″N2°55′31″W / 51.7479°N 2.9253°W / 51.7479; -2.9253
Location	Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire
Country	Wales
Denomination	Church in Wales
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	C15th century
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	9 January 1956
Architectural type	Church
Administration
Diocese	Monmouth
Archdeaconry	Monmouth
Deanery	Raglan/Usk
Parish	Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area
Clergy
Rector	The Reverend K J Hasler

The Church of St Aeddan, Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a fifteenth-century church of twelfth-century origin. It contains a notable rood screen. The church is a Grade I listed building and remains an active parish church in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area.

History and architecture

The church dates from the twelfth century but the current building is medieval. ^[1] It was restored in 1872. ^[2] In 2020 the church was forced into temporary closure after Storm Dennis caused serious damage to the roof and water ingress into the interior. A grant provided jointly by the National Churches Trust and the Wolfson Foundation enabled repairs to the roof and the church reopened in 2024. ^{[3] [4]}

The interior contains "perhaps the most complete rood arrangement remaining in any church in England and Wales". ^[5] The rood screen, loft and tympanum are all in situ. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales considers that the screen is "most remarkable" and "probably unique in the British Isles". ^{[6] [7]} The church is a Grade I listed building. ^[1]

St Aeddan's remains an active parish church in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry. ^[8] The churchyard contains three historic yew trees ^{[9] [10]}

Gallery

• 
  The interior
• 
  The churchyard cross

Notes

1. Cadw. "Bettws Newydd Church (Grade I) (1962)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
2. "Bettws Newydd Church: Heritage Record". Church in Wales . Retrieved 12 February 2025.
3. Rowe, Katrina (9 October 2023). "Good news for St Aeddan church, Bettws Newydd, as rotting roof repair gets funded". South Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
4. Barnes, Jo (17 June 2024). "Historic church shares in £1 million grant to help fix rotting roof". South Wales Argus . Retrieved 12 February 2025.
5. Newman 2000, p. 120.
6. "Betws Newydd Church (222145)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
7. Keyy, Guy (30 January 2024). "The beautiful British churches that deserve to be saved – before it's too late". Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 12 February 2025.
8. "Bettws Newydd Church". Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
9. "Bettws Newydd St Aeddan". National Churches Trust . Retrieved 12 February 2025.
10. "Bettws Newydd". Ancient Yew Group. Retrieved 12 February 2025.

References

• Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. London: Penguin. ISBN   0-14-071053-1.