About

Explore the ruins of St. Mary's Church in Tintern as part of Cadw's Open Doors Festival. This is a great chance to explore an iconic site in Tintern that doesn't usually offer tours.

Visitors will receive a short tour around the churchyard and ruin exterior whilst receiving an informal talk on the history, folklore and legends of Chapel Hill.

Tours at 2.30 - 3pm on Saturday and 11 - 11.30am on Sunday.

The church, which was rebuilt in 1866 remained in use until 1972 before being destroyed by fire in 1977. It stands on the site of a medieval chapel, probably built as a retreat for the monks of Tintern Abbey or for the secular community growing outside the Abbey walls.

The graveyard contains several interesting monuments including one to Peter Carr who died on the 14th of October 1913 in the Senghenydd Pit disaster and a war grave To Private B B Hall, an American citizen who enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers and died at Connaught Hospital, Farnborough on 5th March 1919 aged 22 years. 

Also within the graveyard is a restored listed sarcophagus tomb, which is believed to belong to Richard White, a wealthy ironworks leaseholder who died in 1765. Richard White was the son of George White, who owned the New Weir Forge and Furnace at Symonds Yat and Monmouth Forge.