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Powys County Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Community theatre to bring 18th century ghostly tale to life
A ghostly tale from 18th-century Radnorshire is set to be brought to life in a play. The story of Charles Lewis, an unscrupulous tanner whose ghost reportedly haunted the lanes of Disserth, will take centre stage in a Builth Wells Community ArtS (BWCAS) production. Mr Lewis, a tanner, was known for using different sets of scales when buying and selling, and was believed to have met a gruesome end. The community of Disserth, who claimed to have been terrorised by his ghost, decided to put an end to the haunting in a rather unique way. Four clergymen, including the Reverend Jones, were called upon to 'read the spirit down.' The ghost of the tanner reportedly rushed into St Cewydd's Church and extinguished the lights carried by three of the clergymen. However, Reverend Jones had cleverly concealed his light in his boot and continued reading the Bible until the ghost shrunk into a bluebottle fly. The fly was trapped in a goose-quill, folded up, and pushed into a snuff-box, which was buried in a nearby bog. BWCAS is now bringing this peculiar tale to the stage in a comedy drama with music, set to be performed at Wyeside on March 14 and 15, 2026. The production will mark the end of nearly 700 years of St Cewydd's being used as a parish church. Charity Friends of Friendless Churches will soon be taking over the management of the church, which will still host up to six services per year and other community events. To prepare for the play, a workshop was recently held at Newbridge on Wye School where pupils in years five and six worked with artist Geraint Edwards to create four giant bluebottles, which will be displayed in the Arts Centre foyer. In addition to the play, a country walk celebrating the interment of the fly took place on July 13, the Sunday closest to St Cewydd's feast day. The group of villagers, in high spirits, made their way from the church to nearby Aberithon Nature Reserve, where a dead fly was ceremoniously immersed. BWCAS will be hosting a series of workshops related to different aspects of theatre before the rehearsals start in November. These workshops will cover acting, singing, dance, and set-design.
Western Telegraph
10-06-2025
- General
- Western Telegraph
Development plans for medieval Castlemartin church
The listed building consent application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park by Rachel Morley of Friends of Friendless Churches sought permission for the reglazing of the west window in the north aisle of the Grade-I-listed St Michaels Church, Church Lane, Castlemartin. A supporting statement through agent Andrew Faulkner Associates Ltd describes St Micheals, which includes a 12th century font, as 'a fine large rural medieval church (late 12th century) with an ancient history and much adaptation, particularly to the tower and east end'. It goes on to say: 'The north and south chapels, and the north transept, were removed in the fifteenth centuries. The 1858 restoration (David Brandon, commissioned by John Campbell, Earl of Cawdor) saw the church re-roofed, refloored (including the encaustic tiles in the chancel – with the Cawdor Arms in decoration) and refenestrated. It is from and after this period that most of the current leaded light glazing was introduced. 'The church houses a good collection of leaded light windows including the east window (depicting the ascension, by Heaton, Butler and Payne), the slype window (depicting St Michael, possibly also by Heaton, Butler and Payne, around 1900) and the south transept (Crucifixion, designed by Pugin – the only surviving Pugin window in any Welsh church – and the last remaining window made by Hard, one of five originally installed in the church) Pugin. Other windows are more ordinary 19th century work of strongly C19th character.' It adds: 'Overall, the building is in good structural order and benefits hugely from having had all of the main roofs relaid in recent decades. Recent repairs have seen improvements to the condition of the walls and the significant leaded light windows. 'Future repair programmes intend to continue this work, address localised leaks and problems associated with the walls and roof of the tower. 'The church is an important rural ecclesiastical building or medieval origin containing important elements of fabric and fittings. Listed at Grade I it is considered to be a particularly important building of 'exceptional interest'.' On the works proposed, it says: 'While the church has a fine collection of leaded lights and painted glass (including the only window in Wales designed by Pugin), the west window of the north aisle is made of large sheets of modern plate glass, with rusty ferramenta, and in poor condition.' The application will be considered at a later date.
