18547

 

II  

Designated  

16/07/1997  

31/01/2001  

Church of Saint James the Great  

 

Gwynedd  

Llandderfel  

Bala  

Glan-yr-Afon  

302687  

342526  

 

On the SE side of the A494 on the east side of Glan-yr-afon; set within its own walled churchyard.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Erected as a memorial church to Sir Robert and Lady Williames-Vaughan of Rug at an overall cost of £2,328; designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and built 1861-1864.  

Memorial church in simple Early Gothic style. Nave and chancel in one, articulated by the positioning of the gabled bell-cote, and strongly projecting stepped buttress to N wall (similar buttress to S, with lean-to vestry built against it to the east). Bellcote has paired chamfered arches and inset quatrefoil. Rough rubble brought to irregular courses, with sandstone ashlar dressings to window surrounds etc., and tooled angle quoins; graded green slate roof with coped gables surmounted by cross finials. Porch to NW angle has coped gabled roof and double-chamfered archway with impost band continuing to form sill band of west windows. Roll-moulded arch to inner doorway. The W end has paired lancet windows with plate-traceried rose-window recessed and with strongly moulded surround. 3 windows to the S side of the nave, all 2-light plate tracery, each differently detailed, and linked by continuous sill-band. Lean-to vestry to S of chancel, with simply moulded arched doorway and gathered stack with cylindrical shaft. Chancel has stepped triple-lancet east window. Paired lancet windows to N of chancel, and 2-light plate-traceried windows in N wall of nave, again all differently detailed and with continuous sill band, dropped to a lower level for the nave windows beyond the buttress.  

Coherent, integrated design with fine contemporary fittings. 4-bay nave with scissor-braced rafters and chamfered principal roof trusses sprung from wall-posts carried on plain corbel blocks. Deep splays to windows with cavetto moulded chamfered arches, and stilted arch to NW doorway. Double roll-moulded arch to chancel, with angle shaft to outer arch, and engaged shaft to inner arch, with plain block abaci. Chancel roof of 2 bays, similar to that of nave. The chancel is raised up two steps which have blue and gold tiles carrying lettered text. Pulpit at one side of chancel arch has simple trefoiled panels with pierced decoration. Red, gold and black encaustic tiles laid diagonally to chancel, and richer floor tiles to sanctuary (incorporating emblems of the Evangelists), which is also raised up two steps with tiled text. Reredos has diagonally laid tiles with embossed pattern (fleurs-de-lys etc.). Piscina and double sedilia: piscina has roll moulded trefoiled arch carried on slender shafts; reredos has paired trefoiled arches set beneath roll-moulded arch with rectangular hood-mould over. East window set in arch with engaged shafts and inset trefoils at spandrels. Communion rails also appear to be contemporary: ironwork with slender twisted shafts carrying gilded scrolls to support moulded wood rail. Choir stalls have similar, though simplified, detail, and incorporate twisted brass candelabra (converted to electric light fittings). Similar fittings in nave benches. Font at west end of nave: octagonal basin with lettering and band of entwined lilies in relief; cover with wrought iron scrollwork. Stained glass in E window, by O'Connor.  

Listed as a good, well-preserved example of a Gothic Revival rural church, with a consistency of design and coherence of detail running through the simplicity of its overall form, the subtle articulation of exterior detail, and the quality of its contemporary interior fittings.