From all around, St Nicholas’ Church can be seen clearly. Standing upright and bold in the middle of the town and its surrounding countryside, it acts not only as the centre of the area, drawing and holding it together, but also points the community upwards, beyond itself, a tangible reminder of the diversities of our past, preparing us for the future, bearing witness to Christian realities.

The present building has been here since Trellech was a town larger than Cardiff or Swansea. Built proudly by its citizens, it was a symbol of the status of a town that had its own mayor and market, recalling Trellech’s importance on the disordered and dangerous border between England and Wales.

The powerful Marcher Lords, (the de Clares, Earls of Gloucester, Lords of Usk and Glamorgan), were responsible for this booming prosperity. Trellech was their arsenal, where the iron was forged out of which they made the weaponry and armour for their soldiers to use to control their estates and to extend them into the highlands of Glamorgan.

After the Welsh had sacked and burnt the town (in about 1250), the church was rebuilt in its present form, and survived the attack of Owain Glyndwr’s soldiers in 1404. The church that stood amidst all that industry and violence is now surrounded by peaceful countryside, continuing to serve and challenge its people.

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