Garway

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Garway is a civil parish in south-west Herefordshire, England. It is set on a hillside above the River Monnow about 10 km northwest of Monmouth. It is a sparsely populated area, mainly agricultural in nature. There are several small centres of population: Garway, Broad Oak, The Turning and Garway Hill.

[edit] Garway church

The church of Saint Michael is on the western edge of the parish.

The earliest record of a monastery on the site is in the seventh century, but it is with the arrival of the Knights Templar in 1180 that the history of the church at Garway becomes clearer. The Templars built a number of partly round churches (in honour of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem) including this one.

The excavated foundations of part of the round church can be seen clearly on the north side of the present church, and the original carved chancel arch survives. Most of the current church - no longer round - is probably 13th century, including the massive tower which was once separate from the main church building. There are numerous carvings both inside and outside the building including a "green man", a sword (believed to be Templar), a fish and a snake.

Garway church is an important part of the community and in addition to regular services it is used for many other events.