87903

 

II  

Interim Protection  

 

 

Catholic Church of Christ the King  

 

Conwy  

Kinmel Bay and Towyn  

Towyn  

Towyn  

297727  

379180  

W  

On the W side of Gors Road, opposite Llys Glyndwr, behind contemporary railings and gates.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Modern  

Catholic church of 1973-74 by the architectural practice the Bowen Dann Davies Partnership (BDDP), with Bill Davies the partner-in-charge and I G Davies as the project architect. The contractor was Anwyl Construction. Construction cost was £30,000. Towyn grew rapidly in the post-war period, partly due to a seasonal influx of holiday makers to the newly established chalet and caravan parks but also due to permanent residents moving to the area. Christ the King was built to accommodate the needs of this growing, and seasonal population. Towyn was the first of 3 remarkable churches produced by BDDP between 1973 and 1982. It developed themes of a modernist Welsh vernacular that Stewart Powell Bowen had established with the design of Our Lady of Lourdes at Benllech (1964-5) and for which Bill Davies contributed all the architectural work. St Illtyd, Rhuddlan (1975-6) followed shortly after Towyn, echoing the design of Christ the King. it was awarded a RIBA Commendation in 1978. A few years later in 1982 the practice completed the Welsh Presbyterian chapel of Capel y Groes in Wrexham, which carried similar design themes. It won a Civic Trust Commendation in 1982, a RIBA Commendation and the Gold Medal for Architecture at the National Eisteddfod of Wales both in 1984.  

Church in the modernist vernacular style particularly associated with BDDP, developed in response to the landscape and climate of N Wales. Characteristic features of the style displayed here include low outlines, spreading roofs and a complex plan. A striking feature of the design is flexibility in response to fluctuating congregation size: the main space includes a hall which can be treated as an extension of the nave, and doors on the S side allow worshippers to participate in the Mass from outside. Low pitched roof with interlocking concrete tiles, honey coloured brick, timber windows and doors. Rectangular plan, but stepped out in three main blocks from east to west, with narrowest block at the east a mono-pitch. Long low roofs, with clerestory thrust above the main eaves line to give a clerestory over the sanctuary. Entrances and fenestration in long elevations, sheltered by projection of eaves. Beside the entrance is a free-standing timber lattice tower with a large cross at its peak, high above the church.  

Internal finishes of exposed pale brown brick, ceiling and longitudinal beams all clad in timber boarding. The interior is well lit from both long elevations and the clerestory, and has an informal domestic character, enhanced by the ability to link hall with nave. Nave incorporating wide side aisle, and sanctuary not delineated spatially: it simply forms a tiled platform raised above nave by a single step. Font and altar are both on this platform: both have brick bases with polished Welsh slate above. Stations of the Cross set high on longitudinal beam that marks division between nave and aisle to the S. Passage from the entrance to the sacristy, kitchen, boiler room and WCs.  

Included for its special interest as a fine example of a post-war Catholic church in Wales, and of the work of Bill Davies and the Bowen Dann Davies Partnership. The modernist vernacular idiom with which the Partnership is particularly associated, allied to the reforming ideas of the Second Vatican Council, is beautifully exemplified in a building that is especially sensitive both to its landscape and social context. The church survives almost unaltered. This structure has been afforded Interim Protection under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. It is an offence to damage this structure and you may be prosecuted. To find out more about Interim Protection, please visit the statutory notices page on the Cadw website. For further information about this structure, or to report any damage please contact Cadw.