The chapel where Echo and the Bunnymen recorded atmospheres

Why do some old buildings end up with such odd legacies? Capel Llugwy is a 12th-century chapel in the Anglesey countryside that survived for centuries as a private place of worship before falling into disrepair in the early 18th century.

It emerged during a period of rebuilding after Viking raids, though nobody can say for sure what its original purpose was. Was it a memorial for the elite? A chapel for a nearby royal court? Or just a convenient spot for a growing population?

Then things got weird. In 1999, a collective of Welsh musicians - including members of Echo and the Bunnymen - used the 16th-century burial vault to record "atmospheres" for an album. One journalist even called the group one of the strangest pop bands of all time. It is a rather sharp contrast - ancient skeletons and heavy atmosphere meeting modern experimental pop.

Today, the roof is gone but the walls stand at gable level. You can still see where the 14th-century repairs started about 5 feet up the masonry. It is a peaceful place to stand and wonder what else has happened in those shadows.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons