From one end of Tintern to the other, our two projects are at the heart of a long and colourful history - a stone slipway crossed by Roman, Viking, Saxon and Normans, a sacred site on ancient pilgrimage route, associations with St Tewdrig and St Andras, the Picturesque and the Romantic movement, wealthy ironmasters and the beginnings of metallurgy, tourism and telecommunications. Discover the stories at our tours and events.

Two remarkable places. One shared mission: to protect the heritage of the Lower Wye Valley for future generations.

St Mary’s Church

An enchanting landmark with sublime views overlooking Tintern Abbey and the river Wye, St Mary’s has stood at the heart of Tintern for centuries. This listed ruin and scheduled monument on a listed pilgrimage path was originally built by the Cistercians replacing an existing religious site of Llanandras.

Sadly, the church was decommissioned in 1973 and a devastating fire in 1977 left the 14th century Norman and Victorian Early English Gothic architecture in ruins, placing it on the ‘at risk’ register.

Now in need of care, we are working to secure its future and bring this special place back into community use.

Due to safety concerns, the ruin is closed and unauthorized access is strictly forbidden.

Fryer’s Wharf Slipway

For centuries, before roads connected the valley, the river Wye was the main route in to Tintern. Fryer’s Wharf was an important crossing, landing and mooring point for goods, medieval pilgrims heading to the abbey, then for the pleasure boats carrying some of the first tourists on the famous Wye Valley Tour.

In 1910, Fryer’s Wharf was described as a “free wharf – open for the use of all who care to make use of it.” and gifted to the community. Over time, changes to Tintern’s infrastructure led to all of Tintern’s historic wharves and slipways being irretrievably lost. This historic slipway now lies beneath a 1960s pumping station.

We want to reclaim this lost piece of Tintern’s river heritage and are campaigning and working to replace the ageing station with modern technology, allowing the ancient slipway to be restored and returned to public use.

Its revival could also provide an important practical benefit: a launch point for the Severn Area Rescue Association to deploy emergency boats from the nearby road.

Images - Autumn St Mary’s by Matt Perks and a Reimagined Fryer’s Wharf Slipway thanks to Jeremy Bolwell & AI