“What’s the point of a cathedral? It is to make people think of something else. Anything.”
I was listening to Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast recently, where Professor Brian Cox recalled his friend Victor Stock, the former Dean of Guildford, saying the above.
I think this different way of looking at cathedrals could be applied to churches too, do you?
I love visiting churches. Whatever you believe, they can offer a feeling of peace and safety, hold centuries of history within their walls, and give us something increasingly needed during these chaotic times: quiet time to stop and think. I love thinking about all the people who have also visited each church before me over many years.
Read on to find out more about our recent visit to St David’s Church in Hubberston:
Our visit to St David’s Church
Last Wednesday, we visited our local church, St David’s Church in Hubberston, Pembrokeshire. I pass it every day, yet I had never taken the time to properly look around outside of services and appreciate how much history it holds.
The visit felt particularly meaningful because we have records of our family attending the church during the 1800s. We didn’t look at the records today, but it was still interesting to spend some time inside and imagine our ancestors visiting the same church all those years ago.
They may have walked across the same ground, gathered beneath the stone-vaulted ceiling and celebrated baptisms, marriages and other important moments here.
Churches preserve more than architecture. They also hold the stories of the ordinary people who worshipped in them and the communities that grew around them.
The history of St David’s Church
St David’s Church, often referred to locally as Hubberston Church, is tucked away in its churchyard off Gelliswick Road (behind Hubberston Community Centre and CKs Shop).
The church has 15th-century, or possibly earlier, origins, while its font dates from the 13th century. This means that the font is older than much of the present church building. It is incredible to think of all the generations of local families who may have gathered around it for baptisms over the centuries.
The building was subsequently renovated and restored and has been a Grade I listed building since 1951. Grade I status is reserved for buildings of exceptional architectural or historical importance, making St David’s one of Pembrokeshire’s particularly significant historic buildings.
The church’s own history suggests that Christian worship has taken place on this site for around 1,000 years.
A traditional South Pembrokeshire church
St David’s Church is built in the traditional South Pembrokeshire style, with a low, stone-vaulted nave and chancel and a west tower.
The nave is the main part of the church where the congregation sits, while the chancel is the area towards the altar, traditionally used by the clergy and choir.
The low stone vaulting gives the church a sheltered and peaceful atmosphere. It feels strong and timeless, almost as though the building has grown naturally from the Pembrokeshire landscape.
What to look for inside St David’s Church
There are so many interesting details to notice inside the church.
As well as the 13th-century font, the chancel contains a tomb recess and an elaborate triple 15th-century sedilia. Sedilia are stone seats built into the church wall that provided seating for members of the clergy during services.
The chancel screen is triple-arched with delicate tracery. Details such as these are easy to overlook at first, so it is worth taking your time and looking closely as you walk around.
There is also a medieval sink, known as a piscina, which was used for disposing of leftover holy water or wine from services. Piscinas were usually built into the wall near the altar so that the water would drain directly into the ground rather than being used for an ordinary purpose.
The church’s stained-glass windows, memorials, arches and carved details also deserve time and attention. Some features are medieval, while others were added during later restoration work, meaning that different periods of the church’s long history can be seen throughout the building. Our guide told us that they had to use whatever they could to restore the stained-glass windows. This makes them very unique.
Another interesting link to the village’s past can be seen inside the church in the form of a flag donated to Hubberston by HMS Hubberston. Named after the Pembrokeshire village, HMS Hubberston was a Ton-class minesweeper, later converted into a minehunter. The ship served for 24 operational years, including time in Singapore and Hong Kong, before being paid off in 1991. The flag is a lovely reminder of the connection between the vessel, its crew and the village whose name it carried around the world.
It is often the smaller details that make historic churches so interesting. Worn stone, old inscriptions, memorials and carefully carved woodwork can all help us imagine the people who spent time there before us.
Our family connection to Hubberston Church
Knowing that our family attended St David’s Church during the 1800s made the visit feel much more personal.
Although we didn’t examine the records on this occasion, simply standing inside gave us a tangible connection to our family’s past. It is one thing to read names and dates during family-history research, but another to visit a place that those people would have known.
I would love to return to the records and discover more about which family members attended the church and the occasions that brought them here. FindMyPast has confirmed that many of the “Hicks” were baptised there. I haven’t found any “Hicks” gravestones in the graveyard though.
A quiet place to stop and think
You do not need to share the same beliefs as those who built or worship in a church to appreciate what it offers.
There is something special about entering a building that has stood for centuries and allowing yourself a few moments away from phones, noise and everyday worries. Old churches encourage us to slow down, look carefully and think about the many generations that came before us.
That is why Victor Stock’s words stayed with me. A cathedral-or a small local church—can make us think about history, family, faith, everyday life, architecture or something else entirely.
St David’s Church gave us that valuable opportunity to pause and think.
Visiting St David’s Church, Hubberston
St David’s Church is located on Gelliswick Road in Hubberston, Milford Haven.
Address:
St David’s Church
Hubberston
Milford Haven
Pembrokeshire
SA73 3RE
St David’s Church is open to visitors every Wednesday from 2–4 pm during the summer holidays. This is a lovely opportunity to step inside, explore the historic building and enjoy a few peaceful moments- thank you for opening up for us to visit.
Keep an eye on the church’s Facebook page for more events and up-to-date opening times, particularly if you are planning to make a special journey.
Please remember that St David’s remains an active place of worship and visit the church and churchyard respectfully. As this is a historic building, some paths, entrances and surfaces may be uneven and narrow. Contact the church in advance if you have particular accessibility requirements.
Further contact details can be found on the Hubberston Church website or St David’s Church page on the Church in Wales website.
Discovering history close to home
We often travel farther afield to visit historic places without noticing the fascinating buildings within our own communities.
I pass St David’s Church every day, but stepping inside and taking the time to properly look around gave me a new appreciation for this special place.
Its medieval architecture, 13th-century font and centuries of connections to local families make it an important part of Hubberston’s history. Our own family connection made the visit especially meaningful, but you don’t need to have ancestors who attended the church to appreciate its beauty, atmosphere and fascinating story.
Do you enjoy visiting historic churches? Is it the history, architecture, sense of peace or something else that draws you inside?
Watch our St David’s Church reel below:
Read more: Discover Milford Haven posts
