The church of St Michael the Archangel is situated in Llanyblodwel, a scenic rural village seven miles from Oswestry in north-western Shropshire, just a short distance from the Welsh border. The village name, Llanyblodwel, can be translated from Welsh as “Church of Blodwell” or “Parish of Blodwell”. Blodwell being from the old English name of “Blodwelle”, meaning “blood spring or stream” (probably a reference to the colour of the water), although there are other suggestions as to where “Blodwel” originates. The Afon (River) Tanat passes by the church.

I have wanted to visit Llanyblodwel Church for quite some time after seeing a picture of it in ‘The Churches of Shropshire & their Treasures’ book by John Leonard (picked up at a secondhand book sale). Its tower and spire are pretty unique. An 1860 newspaper article noted it as “incongruous”! So how did this unique tower come to be? Well…
It is believed that there has been a church here since Norman times, but it is the Rev. John Parker M.A. to which its current form and unique features are owed. When he arrived at the church in 1845, the south wall, the oldest part of the church, was unsafe and beyond repair. It was decided that the wall must be rebuilt from the ground up and that the church needed more space. Rev. John Parker spent his entire time at Llanyblodwel making the church his own, designing and renovating it, and, most notably, building the spire (built in 1855).


The Rev. John Parker died on 31st August 1860 and on 21st December 1860 the Shrewsbury Chronicle reports:
“An obituary for the late Rev. John Parker makes note that his “architectural portfolios are the best bits of all the medieval buildings in Wales”. It says “He had nearly finished the restoration of his church at his own sole cost and by his own hand, when he had to lay aside paper, pencil, and compasses forever! Much difference of opinion had been caused by his having erected a spire of a peculiarly curved outline in the new detached tower of Llanyblodwel church; by many it was considered incongruous, by some unauthorized. We do not know whether its architect was aware of the circumstance; but an admiral precedent for it exists in the church of Schelestadt, a building of the earlier portion of the thirteenth century, in the east of France.”
The Rev. John Parker is buried in the churchyard near the base of the church tower, forever to be a part of Llanyblodwel Church.



After the death of another of Llanyblodwel’s vicars, it seems the churchwardens had forgotten something quite important… On 10th June 1899, the Wellington Journal reported:
STRANGE INCIDENT AT A FUNERAL AT LLANYBLODWEL
“The death and burial of Mr John Griffiths of Llynclys has led to an extraordinary occurrence at Llanyblodwel. It seems that the church there, owing to the death of the Rev. Elias Owen, is without an incumbent, and the churchwardens had neglected to make arrangements for another clergyman to conduct the obsequies. The funeral party waited half an hour, and the Mayor of Oswestry, who was accompanied by the Town Clerk, at the request of the family, began the funeral service, when it was remembered that a clergyman had been seen fishing in a neighbouring river. Being summoned he came in his fishing “accoutrements” and performed the ceremony, to the great relief of the sorrowing relatives.”



Thankfully, Christmas of that year seemed to pass without incident. On 30th December 1899, The Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser reported:
“CHRISTMASTIDE – Christmas Day passed off very quietly in this Parish. Very few carol singers were about and this old custom is apparently dying out. The church was most tastefully decorated with evergreens by the ladies of the Parish, and Holy Communion was celebrated at dawn when a fair number were present. At the eleven o’clock service the vicar, the Rev. J. Allen Jones, officiated and the church was well filled. The choir sang with great expression the anthem “Magnify the Lord,” and also the carol by the late Henry Leslie “Sing, oh sing, this blessed morn”.


We visited a couple of days into the new year and the Christmas tree, along with some greenery, tastefully decorated the church.
The interior of the church is quite colourful by most churches standards. There is so much to look at and take in within this interesting and unique church.

…this church is a work of art, from the outside to the inside. Thanks for sharing these beautiful images!
Beautiful church – I love the wood and stain glass espcially.
We really do need to visit your part of the world and check out some of the beautiful churches and houses you discover.
I love the tower and spire of this church and that altar window is beautiful. Any restoration work has been done so skilfully and sympathetically too!
Yet another great place to add to my list, thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Wow, this church is beautiful. I’m glad you finally got to visit after wanting to for a long time. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos!
What an amazing place, and one I actually knew of but never visited myself. Now it’s going on my list of definite must-sees! xxx
I was so interested to read about this Church, having visited quite a few Churches in Shropshire, but not this one. I would have been hard pressed to date the Tower, without your explanation!
What a lovely church, both inside and out! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a curved spire/bell tower like that before. The skull and crossbones carving made me smile. Aaargh, matey!
What a lovely church. Charming interior.
What an interesting church, the interior is truly beautiful. A place to be added to my list 🙂
The spire is very interesting. In the second photo, it appears its leaning, although that doesn’t seem to be the case in the other exterior photos. I’m impressed to see the great condition it’s in.
I think the lean is just the result of the wide lens. It’s a wonderful place.
The church looks wonderful 🙂
I have the book you mention, it is full of interesting information for any church or history lover.
It’s a great book, isn’t it?
Wow, the outside of the church is beautiful, but the inside is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
I especially like the shape of the tower; most unusual.
A beautiful church. It’s always interesting to hear about how a place came to be, the tower and spire are unusual.
That ceiling is gorgeous and it’s also very unusual these days.
Unique place; the spire is fascinating.
What a fabulous church, inside and out. I don’t know what I love more — the stained glass, the treatments beside the window, the ceiling, the spire…. it’s exquisite. Thank you for introducing me to the fabulous place and for the history behind it.
The interior is lovely but I’m not quite so enamoured of the spire! Fascinating history too.
So pretty
What a lovely church , inside and out. I quite like the spire. Thank goodness for clergymen fishermen too. 🙂
I love your photos of this beautiful church! Really lovely use of the wider angle.
It’s quite incredible just how much history there is behind these churches. These days, it can be all too easy to take such buildings for granted. Thanks for introducing us to this one 🙂
What a beautiful church! I love hearing/reading the history behind places like this.
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Oh wow this church still looks beautiful! For some reason, I wasn’t expecting it to still be in working order. A lot of the smaller ones with older cemeteries attached near me aren’t functioning churches now. It looks like a lovely place to visit!