St Mary

The correct name of the settlement in Welsh meant 'Mary’s church near the forest' (Llanfair Is Coed) and referred to the forest of Wentwood, which in the time of the Gwent kingdom separated the then territorial units Gwent Is Coed from Gwent Uwch Coed. In 1746, the porch was added to the church on the south side, and in the 19th century, the entire building underwent a thorough Victorian modernization.

The church is a small, rural temple consisting of a rectangular nave and chancel, a sacristy on the north side of the presbytery and a porch on the south side of the nave.

The standing stone in the field known as ' the warren' below the castle is the 'John of Gaunt stone'. The story goes that John, a local gentle giant challenged the devil to a throwing match. If John won, the devil would leave the residents alone. So they both stood on the top of Gray Hill and grabbed a handful of stone and hurled it toward the river. John's stone landed in the field and the devil's stone landed in the river, now being known as the 'Denny Island'. Of course the stone is approximately in line with the stone circle on the hill and around the same age.