22417

 

II*  

Designated  

30/09/1999  

30/09/1999  

Church of St Twrog  

 

Gwynedd  

Llandwrog  

Caernarfon  

Llandwrog  

245121  

356077  

 

Situated in the centre of Llandwrog village in raised roughly circular-shaped churchyard.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Built in 1856-60 on the site of the medieval church, the dimensions of which it closely follows, to the design of diocesan architect, Henry Kennedy, and paid for by the third Lord Newborough as part of his replanning of the village of Llandwrog.  

Large essentially cruciform building in Decorated style comprising nave, transepts, chancel, south chancel chapel and north vestry; south-west tower has tall broach spire; vaults beneath west end and chancel. Regularly coursed and dressed rock-faced rubblestone with ashlar dressings and spire; slate roofs with stepped ashlar coping and elaborately decorated iron crosses to gables. The most prominent feature of the church is the tower and spire which project from the south-west corner of the nave, buttressed to the corners and having massive iron door with studding and decorated strap-hinges in pointed doorway on south; the tower itself is of 2 stages and has triple traceried and louvred windows with roundels above set in gabled panels to bell stage; hexagonal staircase projection with stone capped roof on east face. Above this is a string course and corbel table, from which rises the spire, tall and slender, with 2 tiers of small crocketed lucarnes. Nave has one window on south and 2 to north, all above high cill bands and of 2 lights with Decorated tracery, hoodmoulds and head-stops; similar larger window of 3 lights in west wall, below which is a straight flight of stone steps leading down to vault (boiler house), and above a traceried roundel to the gable apex. Transepts have 3-light windows above high cill bands to gable walls, south with a series of cusped quatrefoils to top, north with a roundel and tracery forming a Maltese cross pattern to top, both with traceried roundels to the gable apexes; similar arrangement to east end of chancel, which has 5-light window with traceried roundel above and straight-flight stone steps leading down to family burial vault beneath; reset and much worn stone panel with double-headed eagle (Wynn family emblem) over door is probably C17. South chancel chapel has Decorated windows in south and east walls; north vestry has square-headed Perpendicular-style window in east wall, also with traceried roundel above, and integral end stack with gable-capped paired and rebated shafts directly above shallow Tudor-arched doorway on north side.  

Very fine and unaltered high Victorian interior, also retaining several notable features (mostly monuments) from the previous church. Nave has arch-braced roof in 5 bays with carved stone corbels, exposed rafters and ashlar pieces, 2 western bays forming an organ loft with pipe organ dated 1863, supported on triple-arched open stone screen with clustered shafts and cusped detailing to the arches and spandrels; balustrade has intersecting and cusped oval patterns. Area to west of screen forms baptistery with octagonal font on clustered shafts (old, probably early C18, octagonal font on short pedestal without base is in tower porch); main body of nave has collegiate-style stalls to walls with high canopied and panelled backs, partly obscuring the stained glass windows, with in front of the stalls a single set of pews, also inward facing; original oil light fittings (now converted to electricity) hang from roof. Similar seating in transepts, north of which has Victorian octagonal stone pulpit with traceried panels and tapered shaft, the south housing the lectern and an old wooden pulpit incorporating a fine early C16 panel, probably of Flemish origin, depicting the Crucifixion; stained glass in north transept to members of Griffith family (dedication date 1846) and in south to Frances Wynn (dedication date 1920 though plaque below refers to a window of 1863). Vaulted crossing with pointed arch on foliated corbels to west and full-height pointed chancel arch to east has 4 carved angels to springing. Reading desks flank steps to chancel, which is entered through gabled and trefoiled arch-way in centre of very fine and highly decorated low wrought-iron screen reminiscent of the work of Francis Skidmore of Coventry, the eastern side with built-in stalls which have free-standing fronts. Hollow-chamfered pointed doorway in north wall leads to vestry; ornate rails to marble-columned high altar and stained glass in east window commemorates Frances Maria, wife of the 3rd Lord Newborough (dated 1857 with initials SBW, London). Timber screen to south of chancel with traceried open panels, partly made up from an old screen, leads to Glynllifon Chapel, which in addition to its monuments (see below) contains several C18 Gothic-style chairs; stained glass in south window depicts Faith, Hope, Fortitude, Justice and Charity. Monuments:Glynllifon Chapel has on west wall a large marble monument to Sir Thomas Wynn (d.1749)- bust supported on scrolled brackets with shell, cherub below inscription panel; on south wall Ellen and Frances Glyn (d.1711 & 1709)- marble monument with rounded pediment and 2 burning lamps. On south wall at west end of nave a marble wall monument (top broken) to members of the Bodvell family of Bodfan (1731-60) - mourning female figure contemplating an empty urn flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters. Simple C19 brass plate to members of Wynn family on north wall of chancel above door to vestry.  

Listed as a fine Victorian parish church in Decorated style occupying a dominant position at the centre of the important mid-C19 planned Newborough Estate village of Llandwrog; complete high Victorian interior of exceptional quality, a remarkable essay in the ecclesiological tastes of the period.