The Church of St James is a former parish church at

Llangua Llangua ( cy, Llangiwa) is a village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, United Kingdom. Saint Ciwa is said to have built a church there in the VIIth century. Location Llangua is located nine miles north-east of Abergavenny on the A465 ro ...

in the north-east of Monmouthshire. Although in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, the church is in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

rather than the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The p ...

, being part of the parish of

Kentchurch Kentchurch is a small village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. It is located some south-west of Hereford and north-east of Abergavenny, beside the River Monnow and adjoining the boundary between England and Wales. The village name p ...

in the

Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral i ...

. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

History

The church's original dedication was to

St Kew St Kew ( kw, Lanndohow)Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF)

, a Cornish saint believed to have been born in Llangua. The present church dates from the 14th century, with restorations in 1889 and 1954–1955. In 1886 the

living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...

of Llangua was merged by

order in council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

with that of

across the Wales–England border in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

. Under the

Welsh Church Act 1914 The Welsh Church Act 1914 is an Act of Parliament under which the Church of England was separated and disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire, leading to the creation of the Church in Wales. The Act had long been demanded by the Nonconformist ...

, border parishes could decide whether to be part of the Church of England or the

, and "Kentchurch with Langan" ic voted for England. The 20th century restorations were funded by

Ivor Bulmer-Thomas Ivor Bulmer-Thomas CBE FSA (30 November 1905 – 7 October 1993), born Ivor Thomas, was a British journalist and scientific writer who served eight years as a Member of Parliament (MP). His career was much influenced by his conversion to the Chu ...

, former chairman of the Redundant Churches Fund, in memory of his wife.

Architecture and description

The church is built of

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

. The tower has a wooden

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

cap. Much of the interior was remodelled in the 20th century renovations and includes a painted partition with four panels which is said to have come from a demolished chapel in

Whitford, Devon Whitford is a village near Axminster in East Devon. It is situated on the western bank of the River Axe, which is crossed via a small bridge with a weir under it on a lane that joins the A358 road at Musbury. The West of England Main Line run ...

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Llangua, Saint James Grade II* listed churches in Monmouthshire History of Monmouthshire Church of England church buildings in Wales 14th-century church buildings in Wales