For fear of robbery and vandalism, many churches are now closed
to visitors, not so St Cadoc’s Cheriton. Set deep in a tranquil valley, and
built in the early 14th century, the stocky, limestone church is
probably the most lovely on Gower. There’s real peace here, just the sound of
the stream running the length of the churchyard, and birds calling in the high
sycamore and ash trees. A distant cuckoo calls. I follow a brimstone butterfly
along the path to the church; it disappears over the boundary wall passing the grave
I’ve come to visit again. The simple inscription on slate reads:
William Henry Nairn Wilkinson
Knight Bachelor
1932 to 1996
Of Pill House Llanmadoc
Naturalist and Defender of the Countryside
Such a short epitaph hides the life and achievements of a
truly great man, whose wisdom and influence changed the way government in this country thought
about wildlife conservation.
In the church porch there’s a table and a notice offering
water and soft drinks to walkers and visitors, and the door to the church is
open. Inside is cool air and silence. Beautifully painted ceilings, part of a
restoration in 1974, are quite wonderful. A single candle burns on the altar
guarded by six brass candlesticks, all protected by a modern digital security
system. I read the inscriptions on the walls of children, just weeks old, buried
here in the early 18th century. On the north wall a plaque records the
names of all the rectors dating back to the very first in 1649.
Outside again I rest on a wooden folding chair, again provided by
the church, soak up the peace and sunshine, listen to the cuckoo and wonder how
Sir William, from such an illustrious family, came to have a connection with a
tiny village in this remote part of Gower. I always forgot to ask him.
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