The Standing Stones 
The four large early Christian standing stones (from the seventh to the tenth century) probably belonged to an old Welsh monastic group. The stones predate the abbey itself and were found in and around St Dogmaels. Accompanying the stones was a tomb effigy in the shape of a skeleton. The effigy was originally found in the excavation site of the abbey church and probably dates back to the time of the Black Death.
The Coach-House Exhibition.
The exhibition includes a number of items, mainly from the abbey, ranging in date from about 600AD to 1588. Some of the more interesting pieces are:
- A carved pillar dating from the 7th-9th Century carved from spotted dolerite – the same type of Preseli stone used at Stonehenge. It was first noted on the road to Manian Fawr near Poppit in 1880, but it had earlier been used elsewhere as a gate-post. The carved details are confusing at first glance, but towards the top there are two bird heads facing the centre beneath which there is a cross within a frame or panel shaped like a shield. The upper part of the cross is flanked by small crosses and the lower part by circles. Some of the detail, notably the shield, could be a later medieval tampering.
- An incomplete cross-carved pillar dating from the 8th or 9th Century carved from spotted dolerite. The top of the pillar is missing, but the stone is carved with an equal-arm cross with triangular arms set within a circle. Underneath the cross is a carved stem with a pair of spirals just above half-way up the stem. It may originally have been used as a marker stone inside the abbey, or close by. It was first noted at the abbey site in 1896.
- A cross-carved pillar, also of the 8th or 9th Century and carved from spotted dolerite. It was found in 1949 during conservation work at the abbey, and had been re-used in the footings of the east wall of the Chapter House during the 13th Century. The stone is carved with a Latin ring-cross with small circles at the end of each arm and at the base of a narrow stem. It may have been a grave-marker when originally carved.
- Another stone pillar of uncertain date carved from coarse dolerite, has carvings showing the letters D and I to either side of what may be a cross stem. The upper part of the pillar is lost. It was first noted in 1908.
- A reconstruction of part of the stone arcade that would have made up the sides of the abbey cloister. The slim columns and carved heads would have been very impressive. It dates from the 1200’s.
- A reconstruction of a section of tiled floor. The floors of the abbey church were tiled in this way and would have been a very pleasant feature.
- A section of carved stone from part of a door arch. The thickness of the stone and the quality of the carving suggests that this piece came from an important doorway – perhaps the south door of the church or the door to the Chapter House.
- A tomb effigy showing a skeletal figure. Of 15th Century date the effigy probably came from the recess in the north wall of the North Transept. The rather creepy appearance of the figure makes it a favourite with visitors. The fragments of tomb panels are of the same date and may even have come from the same tomb.
- A ceiling boss from the North Transept. This originally hung from the ceiling and can best be seen using the ceiling mirror. It dates from about 1500. (Glen Johnson, 2008)
