Dear Listers,
A week or so ago, I asked for your help in identifying a church shown in an
old photograph
(see
http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/mystery-church.jpg and my email appended
below).
I received a number of responses, both on- and off-list, for which I'm very
grateful.
Unfortunately none of the responders was able to identify the church
definitively.
In the meantime, I also enlisted help from two experts in the field:
1. Rob Scourfield - Building Conservation Officer for the Pembrokeshire
Coast National Park. He is also co-author of two volumes in the Pevsner
Architectural Guides "Buildings of Wales" series. Rob co-authored the
volumes on Powys, and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
Rob responded: "This looks familiar - feels more south Wales (Glamorgan or
Mons)......this is annoying me now! I'll keep thinking, but nothing springs
to mind...."
2. Tom Lloyd - Wales Herald of Arms and Chair of the Cathedrals and Churches
Commission of the Church in Wales. He is also author (and co-author) of the
Pevsner's "Buildings of Wales" volumes on Glamorgan, Pembrokeshire, and
Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
Tom responded: "It looks right for a remote Breconshire [church], but I
guess it was the object of a very late C19th restoration or enlargement that
has left it little recognisable as shown here... even if by that date
drastic alteration was meant to be a thing of the past."
So even these two experts have so far been unable to identify the church.
For now, the church's identify is still a mystery, but I haven't yet given
up the search.
A knowledgeable friend of mine wonders whether the church may have undergone
some rebuild since the picture was taken, making it more difficult to
recognise - or even whether it still exists!
If/when we solve the mystery, I'll be sure to let you know.
Kind regards,
John
--------------------
John Ball, Brecon, Mid-Wales, UK
E-mail: john(a)jlb2011.co.uk
Personal Homepage:
http://www.jlb2011.co.uk
Blog:
http://johnofbrecon.com
-----Original Message-----
From: John Ball
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 1:54 PM
To: Powys List ; Glamorgan List
Subject: [POWYS] Can you identify a Mystery Church?
Dear Listers,
Can you help to identify an unknown church?
A friend of mine was given an old photograph of a church. The donor claims
the church is St Ellyw's at Llanelieu, near Talgarth in Breconshire, but we
disagree. Comparison shows there are vital differences between the two
churches. So the church in the old photo remains unidentified.
You can see the old photo on my website by going directly to:
http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/mystery-church.jpg
We think the church is most likely to be situated in one of the three old
mid-Wales counties forming modern-day Powys, but it could be anywhere, so
don't rule out possibilities outside of Powys.
If you think you recognise the church in the old photo, please let me know
where it is, either through this List, or directly to my email address:
john(a)jlb2011.co.uk
Many thanks for your help.
Kind regards,
John
--------------------
John Ball, Brecon, Mid-Wales, UK
E-mail: john(a)jlb2011.co.uk
Personal Homepage:
http://www.jlb2011.co.uk
Blog:
http://johnofbrecon.com
Images of Wales:
http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/
Welsh Family History Archive:
http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/wales/
Joint Webmaster, Breconshire Local & Family History Society
http://www.blfhs.co.uk/
GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/
Administrator - Powys RootsWeb mailing list
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