19743

 

II  

Designated  

23/04/1998  

23/04/1998  

Church of St. Edwen  

 

Isle of Anglesey  

Llanddaniel Fab  

 

Plas Newydd Estate  

251772  

368250  

 

In an isolated location c250m from the Menai Strait, reached by a roadway past the Church Lodge of Plas Newydd Estate. The church lies c600m SW of Plas Coch.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Rebuilt in 1856 by H Kennedy, architect of Bangor. Built to replace an earlier church, a little of the old masonry was retained in the lower part of the west wall. Built on land forming part of the Plas Newydd estate. The Plas Newydd Estate was one of the largest estates on Anglesey, passing to the Bagenal family in 1553 and through marriage to the Bayly family in the C18. In 1812 the estate passed to Henry William, Lord Uxbridge's eldest son; Henry was created 1st Marquess of Anglesey in 1815, and his descendants inherited both estate and title.  

Late Decorated style church. Nave with NW tower and spire, chancel with N vestry. Built of squared local rubble, predominantly red gritstone, with sandstone dressings; slate roof with stone copings. Three-stage tower with angled claspingbuttresses incorporates the entrance porch in lower stage through pointed arched doorway; tall traceried lights with continuous hoodmould to bell-chamber in upper stage, which is slate hung to S. Broach spire has crocket finials at each angle. Broad nave articulated as 3 bays by raking buttresses, with arch-headed windows of 2 and 3 lights in each bay; paired traceried windows to W, with impost band linking to outer buttresses. Chancel has 3-light E window.  

Nave of 7 roof bays, the exposed cambered collar beam trusses have braces carried down to wall posts and corbels. Chancel is raised by 3 steps, with an arch of 2 chamfered orders, 3 roof bays with exposed, cusped collar beam trusses and cusped braces above and plain lower braces carried down to wall posts with moulded corbels with shield emblems on facing panels. Glass: W window, coloured glass depicting biblical scenes and geometric patterns, with phoenix and peacock motifs in upper lights, to Rev. Rice Robert Hughes d.1801. S wall, E window; biblical scenes, to William Bulkeley Hughes of Plas Coch d.1882. N wall, E window; to Thomas Bulkely Hughes d.1836, Elizabeth, his wife d.183- and their 3 children, Margaret Ann d.1804, Thomas Lloyd d.1813 (last entry illegible). Fittings: Font; octagonal sandstone set on single pillar, with carved cross within rectangle in facing panel. Pulpit; set in NE corner of the nave with 3 facing panels C19 oak panelled, incorporates C17 panels in lower part with floriate carving and beading and C17 carved frieze in the upper part, depicting cherubs, dogs and dragons and with cherub and lions head bosses. Pine pews with aisle doors, the choir stalls are pine but incorporate carved oak facing panels (possibly C17). Moulded sanctuary rail set above pierced pine panels. Monuments: Nave contains C18 and C19 memorials. Miscellaneous: Reading desk, C19 incorporating work of late C14 and C17. Desk front contains in upper part a late C14 ogee cusped arch with crockets and bosses and carved spandrels, probably from a screen. Dexter spandrel contains a griffin and sinister a lion. In corresponding positions at the back are angels surrounded by clouds bearing shields. Lower part is a panel of late C14 pierced tracery with ogee heads. Desk top is supported by two early C17 brackets carved with human heads and along the front is a frieze of a floriated design of the second half of C17.  

Listed as a good example of H Kennedy's designs for a small-scale rural church, with interior fittings incorporating some fine carved work of C14 and C17.