Church in 'little bit of heaven' launches graveyard trail to lure people to Denbighshire

An ancient church overlooking the River Dee has created a trail highlighting its most interesting graves. St Tysilio’s in Llantysilio, Denbighshire, will launch the trail this weekend in the hope of attracting more visitors to a place that lies in its own “little bit of heaven”.

The venture was described as “fascinating” by a local politician who sees it as a clever way of pulling more tourists into the Vale of Llangollen. St Tysilio lies close to Horseshoe Falls in a beautiful setting that gives stunning views of the Dee and the steam trains that run alongside it.

The site has been a place of worship since the 6th century. The origins of the current single-naved building date back to 1180 but it was substantially renovated in the 15th century. With a pre-Raphaelite stained glass window, links to the poet Robert Browning and monument to Shakespearean actress Helen Faucit, the church already attracts 10,000 people each year.

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Paths have been cut to form a route around the graveyard that visits the graves of nine people or families from different backgrounds. Their stories were researched by local resident David Crane and volunteers from the Llangollen Museum.

Among those buried there are two soldiers killed during World War One. Full-colour leaflets of the graves and their stories, in Welsh and English, will be available in the church.

A key feature of the churchyard is a stone pulpit removed from St Tysilio’s in the 19th century when a wooden replacement was made. It’s thought this was used for sermons in good weather, with parishioners listening while sat among gravestones.

In 1822 the church was the scene of an illegal exhumation. When a former owner of old Llantysilio Hall died without a named heir, it was claimed a lost will existed and had been buried with the owner.

A group of about eight people, including a lawyer and a surgeon, broke into St Tysilio’s at night and but found nothing in the owner’s tomb. Badly spooked by a noise, the coffin was dropped and the intruders fled but were caught later. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone

Sam Rowlands, a Senedd Member for North Wales, chairs the Welsh Parliament’s cross-party group on tourism. He said: “I welcome any projects which ultimately attract even more people to this lovely part of the world and to learn more about our history and rural life.

“Old graveyards do seem to hold a fascination for visitors. It’s great that some of the graves are being mapped out and information is available about them in the church.”

All the graveyard records have been digitised and a map of marked graves will be on display in the church. Three new books – one for different areas of the graveyard – have also been published. These list, with photographs, all the graves in the records. The aim is to help people locate the resting places of their ancestors.

The last two phases of the project will see extra interpretation boards installed. A people’s history book – memories of people who live, or have lived, in Llantysilio – is also being compiled. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

For more than 30 years the churchyard has been managed as a haven for flowers, insects, birds and small mammals. The idea of a trail stemmed from an AONB-funded project that looked at how visitors might learn more about the area’s rural life, social history and natural history.

• St Tysilio graveyard trail launches on Saturday, June 22. Between 11am and 3pm there will be guided tours of the church and its graveyard, with refreshments. All are welcome.

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