19024

 

II*  

Designated  

12/11/1997  

12/11/1997  

Parish Church of St Cynbryd  

 

Conwy  

Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel  

Abergele  

Llanddulas  

290854  

378211  

N  

Located in the centre of the village on the north bank of the Afon Dulas, within its own large, rubble-walled churchyard.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Medieval or earlier religious site; the church was rebuilt in 1732 before its own demolition and replacement by the present building in 1868-69. Commissioned by Robert Bamford Hesketh of nearby Gwrych Castle, the architect employed was G E Street, in what was to be the first of a number of projects for this client. The church was built at a cost of £6,000 by the contractors, Messrs Hughes of Llandudno and was consecrated on May 24th 1869 by Bishop Short of St. Asaph. Conceived in an eclectic Decorated style and drawing upon both curvilinear and Geometric elements, the church is of subtle sophistication and quiet mastery.  

Double-naved church, the N aisle longer than the S. Of rubble construction, faced with finely-dressed, random polygonal masonry with sandstone dressings; on a chamfered plinth, double-chamfered to the N aisle. Steeply-pitched slate roofs with tiled ridges and kneelered gable parapets; these with overlapping copings. Oversailing eaves with expressed rafter-ends; stone gable crosses to porch and N aisle. Continuous sill and label mouldings, the former, on the S aisle, returned onto the porch. This is gabled, single storey and has a pointed-arched, moulded entrance with deeply-recessed boarded modern doors. To the L a single ogee-headed lancet, to the R a similar 2-light window and beyond two large Geometric tracery windows with quatrefoil occuli in the tracery; a stepped buttress divides these. High trefoil tracery window to E and plate tracery triple-lancet window to W end of S aisle; the latter has cusped ogee heads and a pointed outer arch. At the NW corner of the S aisle and in the angle between it and the advanced N aisle, a tall octagonal bell turret. Pointed-arched bell-openings to sandstone upper stage; these are cusped and moulded with crenellated brattishing and ball flower ornament. Stone spire with lead ball finial and surmounting decorative weathervane. Stepped buttress to centre of N aisle W gable, with elegant flanking 2-light windows; ogee tracery. In the gable apex an oculus of 3 conjoined trefoils. 5 ogee-headed lancets to N wall, with continuous sill course. This steps down at the easternmost beyond which there is a further buttress flanked by a 2-light and 3-light tracery window to the E and W respectively. Large Geometric tracery window to E end; further 2-light windows to N and S side of chancel. Adjoining the N aisle towards the E end and attached to it via a mono-pitched link block, a rectangular vestry, gabled as before. Stepped-up entrance to S side with moulded, ogee-headed arch and a moulded label, continued around onto the W gable as a sill moulding; boarded door with decorative ironwork. 2-light tracery windows with uncarved square label stops to E and W gables; 2 small trefoil lights to N side. Steps down to boiler room in link block basement.  

Double-naved interior (reflecting regional type) with steep arched-braced collar truss roofs, that to the S of 6 and that to the N of 5 bays; ogee trusses with quatrefoil decoration, 2 tiers of windbraces. Ashlar walls and quarry-tiled floors, red, black and yellow. 4-bay arcade of moulded, pointed arches with conjoined labels ending at E and W ends in ball flower stops. Cylindrical columns with moulded abaci on staged octagonal bases. Original pitch-pine pews. White marble font of a life-sized kneeling angel, by Cecil Thomas, 1928; chamfered stone plinth. Behind this the rough stone font of the church's medieval predecessor. Chamfered, ogee-headed entrance to bell tower; boarded door with plain, original ironwork. Octagonal Gothic stone font in Decorated style, with blind tracery and rich naturalistic foliage. Associated low stone tracery screen to stepped-up chancel (N aisle); moulded purple-pink marble capping. Fine original wrought iron tracery doors with pierced trefoil finials and retaining original gilding and polychromy. Large pointed chancel arch with moulded jambs; cluster-truss roof to chancel. Oak choir stalls in simple Gothic style with trefoil bench-ends and blind trefoil and rosette decoration. Polychromed, tiled pavement (probably by William Godwin) to stepped-up sanctuary. Twin-arched arcade from chancel to organ space (S aisle) with continuous mouldings and infilled with a blind tracery screen in the style of c1330. This with cusped ogee tracery and crenellated brattishing. Narrow hollow-chamfered arched vestry entrance to N; boarded door and ironwork as before. 2-seat sedilia to S side, with cusped ogee heads and piscina beyond. Fine tripartite carved stone reredos in Decorated Court Style, probably carved by William Earp. The central section has naturalistic foliate carving, crenellated brattishing and ball flower decoration. Nodding-ogee canopied niches flank a central crucifixion group with saints; further saint figures in the niches, all of reconstituted stone. Fine blind tracery panels flank with ogees, depressed quatrefoils and naturalistic foliate spandrels. Fine 2-light Decorated tracery windows to the chancel with figurative glass, that to those of the N wall contemporary; wide inner splays to windows. Contemporary or near-contemporary organ to S aisle, by Hill and Son of London; panelled oak case and polychromed pipes with scrolled ironwork. Gothic brass candle brackets. Moulded pointed-arched inner entrance to porch with moulded label and ball-flower stops; polychromed tiled pavement.  

Included at Grade II* as an especially fine and unaltered example of the work of G E Street.