Coychurch

Last updated

Coychurch
St.Crallo's Church Coychurch - geograph.org.uk - 337153.jpg
St.Crallo's Church, Coychurch
Bridgend UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Coychurch
Location within Bridgend
OS grid reference SS939788
Community
Principal area
Preserved county
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRIDGEND
Postcode district CF31
Dialling code 01656
Police South Wales
Fire South Wales
Ambulance Welsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Bridgend
51°29′54″N3°31′44″W / 51.498395°N 3.528979°W / 51.498395; -3.528979

Coychurch (Welsh : Llangrallo) is a small village that sits between Pencoed and Bridgend in Wales, bordering with Bridgend Industrial Estate, where many residents are employed. It is part of the community of Coychurch Lower. [1]

Contents

History

The village has a long-standing religious association, with an early Christian church having been built there possibly as long ago as the 8th century CE. The current church of St Crallo was built in the 13th century, and is a Grade I listed building, very large in size for the village it serves. [2] A medieval cross in the churchyard, close to the church's south door, is Grade II* listed. [3] John Wesley is said to have included the church in his preaching tour of 1771, and the churchyard also contains the grave of the lexicographer Thomas Richards (1710-1790), perpetual curate of Llangrallo, who published the first full-length English-Welsh dictionary in 1753 and dedicated it to Frederick, Prince of Wales. [4]

Near the church are two public houses, the White Horse and the Prince of Wales. The only other businesses in the village are a hairdressing salon and a general store. [5] Coychurch (Llangrallo) Primary School is located in Main Road and is an English-medium school and had 106 pupils as at 2014. [6]

In 2013, extensive improvements were made to road safety within the village. A crossing was placed outside the school and pavements were improved; this resulted in fewer pupils being brought to school by car, with a consequent reduction in traffic through the village. [7]

A local Arthurian legend has grown up, fostered by amateur historian Alan Wilson, who claims, in his 1986 book Artorius Rex Discovered, to have discovered a cave in Coed-y-Mwstwr Forest, just behind the village of Coychurch, where King Arthur was buried secretly, for fear that the news of his death might split his kingdom. [8] Some believe that the Holy Grail was brought to the area by Joseph of Arimathea. [9] A manuscript owned by "Thomas Hopkin of Coychurch" was used by the antiquary Iolo Morganwg to provide "genealogies" of the British saints and a pedigree of Taliesin. [10]

The Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel, named after the wood, is a Grade II listed building and the former home of MP Arthur John Williams and his wife Rose (the daughter of Robert Thompson and Rose Mary Crawshay). Their many guests at the house included David Lloyd George and Ivor Novello. [11] Following Arthur Williams' death, his wife Rose financed the building of the Williams Memorial Hall in 1920, creating a trust that is now administered by Coychurch Lower Community Council. [12]

Capel Crallo, Coychurch Crematorium Capel Crallo, Coychurch Crematorium.JPG
Capel Crallo, Coychurch Crematorium

The crematorium, which serves the Bridgend area, was built in 1970 and was the last design of modernist architect Maxwell Fry, with stained-glass windows produced by Swansea School of Art. It became a Grade II* listed building in 2001. [13] It is administered by Bridgend County Borough Council. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caldicot, Monmouthshire</span> Town in Wales

Caldicot is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. The town is located between Chepstow and the city of Newport. The site adjoins the Caldicot Levels, on the north side of the Severn Estuary. The population of the built-up area was around 11,000. It has a large school, Caldicot School, and is known for its medieval castle. The built-up area includes Portskewett. Caldicot had a population of 9,604 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgend County Borough</span> County borough in Wales

Bridgend County Borough is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy MS, representing the Bridgend Constituency, and Huw Irranca-Davies MS representing the Ogmore Constituency, and its members of the UK parliament are Jamie Wallis and Chris Elmore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewenny</span> Human settlement in Wales

Ewenny is a village and community (parish) on the River Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meifod</span> Human settlement in Wales

Meifod, formerly also written Meivod, is a small village, community and electoral ward 7 miles north-west of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, on the A495 road and located in the valley of the River Vyrnwy. The River Banwy has a confluence with the Vyrnwy approximately two miles to the west of the village. The village itself had a population of 317. The community includes the village of Bwlch-y-cibau and the hamlet of Allt-y-Main.

Brackla is a large housing estate and community in the east of Bridgend in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Along with the communities of Bridgend and Coychurch Lower, it makes up the town of Bridgend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llangedwyn</span>

Llangedwyn is a village in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 402. The community includes the hamlet of Pen-y-bont Llanerch Emrys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nercwys</span> Village and community in Flintshire, Wales

Nercwys is a rural village and community in Flintshire, Wales, which is surrounded by open countryside. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 585. The older, Anglicised spelling of Nerquis can sometimes be found. It has a small school and a local bus service to Mold which is around 3 miles away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Hilary, Vale of Glamorgan</span> Human settlement in Wales

St Hilary is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is located just south of the A48, about a mile southeast of the market town of Cowbridge. The village has a population of about 260, in approximately 80 houses. Notable landmarks in the vicinity include The Bush Inn, the Church of St Hilary, the Old Beaupre Castle, New Beaupre, Coed Hills and St. Hilary mast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Prichard</span> British architect (1817–1886)

John Prichard was a Welsh architect in the neo-Gothic style. As diocesan architect of Llandaff, he was involved in the building or restoration of many churches in south Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buan, Gwynedd</span> Human settlement in Wales

Buan is a community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, located on the Llŷn Peninsula. It includes the villages of Boduan and Rhydyclafdy, and has a population of 469, increasing to 484 at the 2011 Census. Other settlements include Ceidio, Llandudwen and Llanfihangel Bachellaeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coity</span> Human settlement in Wales

Coity is a village in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales, part of Bridgend town urban area. Coity is part of the community of Coity Higher and is notable for being home to Coity Castle, one of the best preserved castles in Glamorgan. Other buildings of note in the village include St Mary, a 14th-century church, and Ty Mawr, a fine 16th-century house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laleston</span> Human settlement in Wales

Laleston is a village and a community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales, directly west of Bridgend town centre. The village takes its name from the Norman Lageles family who settled in the area. Buildings of note in the village include St David's Church, which still possesses features dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries, the Great House which was built in the early 16th century and Horeb Welsh Presbyterian Church (1831).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coychurch Higher</span> Human settlement in Wales

Coychurch Higher is a community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. It covers the westerly area of the county north of Pencoed and south of Ogmore Vale. The community is sparsely populated and contains only one settlement, the small village of Heol-y-Cyw, which is located on the southerly border of the community. The majority of the community is made up of hilly terrain populated by several farm houses. It was once the site of Wern Tarw Colliery, the site of the first major coalminers' strike post-nationalisation of the coal industry. The population of the community in 2011 was 888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coychurch Lower</span> Human settlement in Wales

Coychurch Lower is a community in Bridgend County Borough, South Wales. Along with the communities of Brackla and Bridgend, it makes up the town of Bridgend. Coychurch Lower is the eastern district of Bridgend, and takes in the village of Coychurch and the area known as Waterton. Traffic leaving the M4 Motorway for Bridgend at Junction 35 travels through Coychurch Lower along the A473 road, passing through an area of business parks and out-of town shopping zones, which takes up the majority of the western half of the community. The population of Coychurch Lower at the 2001 census was 1206, increasing to 1,365 at the 2011 census.

A clas was a native Christian church in early medieval Wales. Unlike later Norman monasteries, which were made up of a main religious building supported by several smaller buildings, such as cloisters and kitchens, a clas was normally a single building. The building was run by a community of clergy and headed by an abod. Clasau were autonomous and were administered locally.

Bridgend is a community in Bridgend County Borough, south Wales. Along with the communities of Brackla, Coychurch Lower and Laleston it makes up the town of Bridgend. Bridgend is the western district of Bridgend town, and takes in the town centre, Newcastle Hill, Tremains and to the north Wild Mill. The population of the community of Bridgend at the 2001 census was 13,950, increasing to 14,912 in the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade I listed buildings in Bridgend County Borough</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II* listed buildings in Bridgend County Borough</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Crallo's Church</span> Church in Wales

St Crallo's Church, often referred to historically as The Cathedral of the Vale of Glamorgan, is a Grade I listed church in Coychurch Lower, Bridgend County Borough, southern Wales.

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to Coychurch Community Website". Coychurch Community Website. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "St Crallo's Church". The Church in Wales. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Churchyard Cross in Coychurch Churchyard, Coychurch Lower". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Griffith John Williams. "Thomas Richards". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Businesses". Coychurch Community Website. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Coychurch Llangrallo Primary". SchoolGuide.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Abby Bolter (28 January 2015). "Village steps back in time as car use falls". WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Alan Wilson. Artorius Rex Discovered. ISBN   9780862850067.
  9. ↑ Adrian Gilbert (5 December 2013). The Blood of Avalon - The Secret History of the Grail Dynasty from King Arthur to Prince William. Duncan Baird Publishers. pp. 156–. ISBN   978-1-78028-628-0.
  10. ↑ The Mabinogion: From the Llyfr Coch O Hergest, and Other Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, with an English Translation and Notes. Longmans. 1849. pp.  391–.
  11. ↑ "Coed-y-mwstwr, Coychurch Lower". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "History of the Hall". Coychurch Community. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Keith Miller (15 November 2003). "Making the grade: Coychurch crematorium". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "Coychurch Crematorium". Bridgend County Borough Council. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.