COMMUNITY

St Silin’s church serves the community of Llansilin, a village of about 300 households in the Cynllaith valley, adjoining the English border. The boundary of the ecclesiastical parish does not coincide with the national one so uniquely a small part of the parish is in England. Welsh language and culture are important in the area. Agriculture remains the main occupation, though many people commute to local towns for work. Village organisations use the refurbished Memorial Hall, one of the few public amenities in Llansilin.

HISTORY

There has been a place of worship in Llansilin for over a thousand years. The earliest building was made of wood. A small window, the south doorway, and some decorative stonework survive from the first stone church, built AD 1200. The early medieval church was re-built in the 15th Century, when the main roof-timbers were added, perhaps after damage during Owain Glyndwr’s rebellion. The attractive barrel-vault ceiling in the chancel was a later addition. During the 15th century, a wooden table, probably the one still in use, replaced the stone altar. Civil War Parliamentarians, taking refuge in the church, broke the glass in the East window and figures on the rood-beam, and the bullet-holes visible in the South door date from then.

The monument to Sir William Williams, the Solicitor-General who on behalf of the king, James II, unsuccessfully prosecuted the Seven Bishops, including the Bishop of St Asaph, dates from 1700, and the Royal Arms in the North aisle dates from Queen Anne’s reign. The chandelier, ‘Seren Silin’ (St Silin’s Star), was mounted in the 1820s, and in the following decade the present tower was built at the West end, and replaced a wooden bell-cote. Four bells were added in 1848. The present oak seating replaced old box pews during sensitive restoration of the church in 1890. To celebrate the Millennium, in 1999 the tower was repaired, the bells re-hung, and the number of bells augmented to six.

A sympathetic extension to the north side of the church, completed in 2006, provides a Parish Room. A valuable community resource, it complements the often fully-booked village hall. The Mothers Union meets monthly in the Parish Room. An annual Plygain is held in church in the first week of December each year. The band of bell ringers practises every Wednesday at 7.30 pm and welcomes visits from other ringers. The bells ring for service on the first Sunday of the month, and depending on availability of ringers, for some other services and on special occasions.

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Last updated 19th November 2007.