Clocaenog

Coordinates: 53°04′30″N 3°22′12″W / 53.075°N 3.370°W / 53.075; -3.370

Clocaenog is a village and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales. It lies on the outskirts of Ruthin. The forest near the village has many walks of varying length and is one of the venues for the Wales Rally GB.

Church of St Foddhyd (Meddvyth)

This neat and well-kept church stands on a hill – ‘Clocaenog’ means ‘mossy knoll’ – above the village. Dedicated to St Foddhyd (Meddvyth), ancient records show that its patron was ‘St Meddvyth the Virgin’, daughter of St. Idloes of Llanidloes in Powys. The restored interior is dominated by a fine ‘rood screen’ (see Derwen), its top rail intricately carved with trailing foliage and its lower panels with ‘candle-flame’ motifs. These date to about 1538, the date once inscribed in the big east window above the altar. The window now displays fragments of its original stained glass, including heads of men and angels and (in the topmost left-hand light) the nail-pierced feet of a crucified Christ. The roof is also late medieval, as may be the massive dug-out chest hewn from a single tree trunk. Later treasures include the pulpit of 1695 and an elaborate wooden chandelier with beast-head decoration, dated 1725.