St Illtyd's Church, Llanhilleth

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St Illtyd's Church
St Illtyds Church - geograph.org.uk - 108953.jpg
Type Church
Location Blaenau Gwent, Wales
Coordinates 51°42′39″N3°08′00″W / 51.7109°N 3.1333°W / 51.7109; -3.1333 Coordinates: 51°42′39″N3°08′00″W / 51.7109°N 3.1333°W / 51.7109; -3.1333
OS grid reference SO 2179 0196
Built c. 1500
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: St Illtyd's Church
Designated 6 June 1962
Reference no. 1866
Community Llanhilleth
Principal area Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of St Illtyd's Church in Blaenau Gwent

St Illtyd's Church is a deconsecrated church in Llanhilleth, Blaenau Gwent, Wales. A Grade II* listed building, it is the oldest standing building in the county borough. [1] [2]

Llanhilleth village in United Kingdom

Llanhilleth is a village, community and an electoral ward on the A467 road between Ebbw Vale and Crumlin in Blaenau Gwent, Wales.

Blaenau Gwent county borough

Blaenau Gwent is a county borough in Wales, sharing its name with a parliamentary constituency. It borders the unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar. Its highest point is Coity Mountain at 1,896 feet (578 m).

The use of the site for worship dates back to pre-Norman times, with references to the church in a poem written in the 9th or 10th century. The chuch was probably rebuilt by the Cistercians in the late 12th century. Much of what remains (particularly the saddleback west tower and the barrel roofs) suggests more rebuilding around 1500. Further refurbishment was completed in 1888–91. [1]

The church closed for the first time in the 1930s because of subsidence from nearby coalmining. It was repaired and reopened in 1943, before closing again because of open cast mining in 1957. After the open cast operations ended in 1962, the church was found to have deteriorated further and was closed permanently. [1]

The church was sold into private hands after closure. It was eventually acquired by Blaenau Gwent Borough Council in 1984 [3] and has been restored to a safe condition. It is open to visitors and is sometimes used as a venue for community events. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "St Illtyd's Church". Statutory List of Buildings . Cadw. 26 November 1999 [Listed 1962]. Cadw Building ID 7667. Retrieved 2 May 2016 via Historic Wales.
  2. "St Illtyd's Church". Blaenau Gwent. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. "britishlistedbuildings" . Retrieved 5 December 2017.