St Mary & St David

Our church dates back to the 12th century. It is internationally renowned for its Romanesque sculpture both around the main door, inside on the chancel arch and outside for the unusual corbels under the roof edge. It attracts over 1000 visitors a year

The church is small, built of red sandstone, and set on the edge of the village, with beautiful Herefordshire countryside stretching away on all sides.

At first glance it looks unexceptional, except perhaps for the apse at the east end. In fact the whole church ' nave, chancel and apse ' is pretty much as it was built in the early 1100s, and is astonishingly well preserved.

The south door draws attention first. It is alive with figures and foliage patterns. There are warriors, birds, snakes or dragons, monsters, and, near the top, an angel. The work is fluid, sophisticated and beautifully carved. The doorway is fantastically well preserved; until Victorian times it was protected by a porch. Now it is exposed to the weather, but monitored very carefully for signs of wear.

Next to look at on the outside are the carvings on the corbel table, which runs round the entire church below the roof line. Here are men, animals and monsters. Some are clearly identifiable, others are more enigmatic. A few are missing; it is said that some of the carvings were too earthy for a local Victorian lady and she had them removed, however one of the carvings, a sheilanagig, is very earthy indeed.

There is more superb carving inside the church, particularly the chancel arch and in the rib vaulting of the apse from a much earlier date are the font and the stoup, unmissable, with two enormous stone hands clasping the bowl.