St Teilo’s Church is a well-preserved Grade II* listed medieval church. It is located in Llanarth, near Raglan, Monmouthshire. A short video taken by drone which shows the church, and its interior, can be viewed below.
The site has been dedicated to religious activities since it was donated by King Iddon to Teilo around c. 600 AD. The fabric of the present building is largely 15th and 16th century: the interior mainly 19th century.

Importantly, the Llanarth Conservation Area Appraisal Report  shows that Llanarth is one of 31 designated conservation areas in Monmouthshire. In particular the report states:
“ The area is strongly defined by its topography with the church, a focal point, elevated on a mound. The tower of St Teilo’s Church is a landmark in views north-east on the southern approach to the village”
Nevertheless, following a Quinquennial inspection, which highlighted the need for extensive repair work, the Church in Wales (CiW) decided to close the building and declared it redundant in 2013. Six years later, in 2019, they put the building up for sale potentially for residential use.

Subsequently, the Trust was approached by a parishioner and asked to investigate how the church might be saved for community use. The landowner of the Llanarth Estate, which comprises most of the properties in the village was consulted and a short questionnaire was issued to local residents to discover their opinions. The majority of responses favoured restoring the church so that it had three main functions but, crucially, did not compete with the village hall. These functions were to provide:
• A large area for events
• A flexible area for community use
• Areas dedicated to generating revenue

Many wanted also the bells, which had been removed on closure, to be returned.

As a result, the Trust agreed to try to conserve the building as the area had lost all of its facilities in recent decades…. The shop, post office, two schools and now the church. The CiW was approached and agreed to take the church off the market and offered the Trust a long lease at peppercorn rent if a project succeeded in gaining major grant aid. The churchyard surrounding the church is still in use for burials and is not currently part of the Trusts remit.

Morgan and Horowskyj Architects and Holland Heritage were commissioned to carry out a feasibility study  to consider how the church might be developed. This was carried out in 2020 aided by funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund. Given the findings of the questionnaire the preferred option was to develop the building for community use.

Other works carried out around this time were:
• A Topographical Survey was carried out of the whole site by PM Consultants. This accurately plots the position of every grave, monument and tree as a base plan to manage the ecology and future use of the churchyard.
• Based on the topographical survey an Initial Churchyard Management Plan was prepared by a professional landscape Architect primarily to instigate a grass-mowing regime to help protect nesting birds and provide easier access to all parts of the churchyard.
• A preliminary bat roost appraisal was carried out by PureEcology Limited
• A local history researcher contributed material about the history and heritage of the church, Llanarth Court and the village. Subsequently, in 2024 it was suggested that a museum be installed within the Chancel.
• McNeilage Stone Conservators looked at what was needed to conserve the memorials within the church and provided an estimated cost
• Morgan & Horowskyj Architects drew up a schedule of essential repairs to the roof and masonry of the church
• The location of the bells was discovered. The Llandaff & Monmouth Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers proposed reinstalling the bells and locating a Ringing Centre at the church i.e. a bell ringing school. (Annex 10 Bell ringing school)

COVID then intervened…… but, in between the two lockdown periods, an Open Day was held on 4 September 2021 where attendees were canvassed for their ideas on how the building might be used if restored. A lot of creative proposals were suggested  but none of them identified the  fundamental need within the community which the building might be able to address once developed.

As a result of the suggestions put forward at the Open Day, a day of workshops with various potential user groups was held in March 2023. Their aim was to identify that underlying need. The results  highlighted the lack of small intimate meeting spaces throughout the rural area around Llanarth, particularly anything of a “drop-in” nature to combat people’s isolation. That is the emphasis post covid moved from being about community use to fostering wellbeing.  This result crystallised the direction proposed in the earlier consultations.

A further grant was awarded by the AHF to develop an initial business case which would test the viability of creating a rural well-being centre. The commission was awarded to Gareth Kiddie Associates in December 2023. The work was carried out between January and August 2024.

Today, THE VISION is firmly centred on addressing rural isolation and providing services, activities and facilities that improve mental health & well-being as a priority. That is:

• A centre that supports well-being and the delivery of rural health services.
• A meeting place where the community can come together, socialize, share and support each other
• An attraction that celebrates its heritage and history, and is a haven for local wildlife
• A new community enterprise that supports local business, creates jobs and volunteer opportunities
• A model of conservation & reuse, and a beacon of hope for medieval rural churches in Wales.