Crickhowell: St Edmunds

About this Churchyard

This beautiful churchyard is approximately a quarter of a hectare in size and is well maintained. It surrounds St Edmund’s Church which is a Grade 11 listed building and is situated near the centre of the small town of Crickhowell. It lies in the Conservation Area of the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. The churchyard has been closed for coffin burials since 1886 but a few burials of ashes have taken place more recently.

The ground is flat, though uneven in parts of the eastern end. It is surrounded by stone walls on three sides, north, east and west which separate the churchyard from roads, and railings on the south side. Alongside the railings is a path which separates the churchyard from the town cemetery.

St Edmund’s churchyard has a good diversity of wild flowers. Some fungi have been seen amongst the grass, in a flowerbed and on a couple of the yew trees. The most common birds seen around and above the churchyard are blackbirds, sparrows, wrens, jackdaws, crows, pigeons, collared doves, swifts, sparrowhawks, and kites. At night, owls are sometimes heard, and bats, which roost in the church roof-space, can be seen flying through the churchyard and surrounding area.

Other animals which are occasionally spotted are butterflies, bees, hedgehogs, slow worms, beetles, ladybirds, snails and slugs. A few tussocky mounds found on a few gravestones and the remains of a tree stump have been identified as the habitats of rare yellow meadow ants.

Key Features

• Wildflower areas
• Peaceful space for quiet reflection
• Wildflower haven
• Good accessibility