4257

 

II  

Designated  

19/10/1971  

11/02/1998  

Church of St Gwyninin  

 

Gwynedd  

Botwnnog  

Pwllheli  

Llandegwynin  

226619  

330048  

 

1.69km S of Botwnnog village,to the E of the minor road, in a small churchyard which has several C19 tomb-chests and is enclosed by a wall with horizontal railings.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Rebuilt in 1840 to designs of architect John Welch, who also designed the church of St Michael, Betwys-yn-Rhos and Flint town hall.  

Small church in primitive Gothic style with appealing, lop-sided, W tower; nave and chancel together under a single roof. Granite rubble stone laid in irregular, uncoursed blocks; slate roof with narrow gable coping. Tower: octagonal base rises above the ridge of the nave roof; the top has small upright stone shafts at the angles which link to a string course below. At ground-level, above a plain plinth, the W face of the tower has a blind pointed-arched recess, echoing similar recesses each side of the tower in the W wall of the nave. Above this recess is a pointed-arched window with Y-tracery, lattice glazing with small-pane leaded lights; stone voussoirs and a slate sill. Between the window and the blind opening is an incised slate tablet: 'This church was rebuilt in the year 1840 /Robert Jones Rector / John Williams, John Griffith Church Wardens'. Inset into the tower wall to right is rectangular slate sun-dial. A circular belfry forms the second stage of the tower; this is slightly set-back and has four small pointed-arched bell-openings with horizontal slates as louvres. Above a squat conical tower rises from a shallow conical base; the top capped by a granite ball finial and iron cross. The S front has three pointed arched Y-traceried windows, with 4-panes to the lower window. The arch to the left window has stone voussoirs, the two arches to the right are in brick; all three have thin slate sills. The entrance door, between the two windows closest to the tower, is again pointed-arched but with bigger dressed granite blocks as voussoirs; plank door. N Side has single window with brick head, as before. E elevation has bigger Y-tracery window with 6-panes to lower window. Iron cross at the gable-end.  

Interior of great simplicity and charm: nave and chancel under one roof. Whitewashed walls; painted brick flooring squares. Five bays; early-C19 type of collar truss with king post, supported by straight braces which spring from wall plates on either side. W end of nave has tall pointed-arch which opens into the tower; the lower part of the arch is enclosed by a boarded partition (with partly-glazed boarded door); the top of which forms front to W gallery; moulded handrail and turned balusters. Centre aisle to nave with box pews either side: painted green and grained. Pulpit forms part of the box pew enclosure on the N side; canted at the angles with recessed panels. Wooden communion rail with trefoil headed openings. C13-C14 Font, deep circular basin with roll moulding to lower edge, seven-sided shaft on a chamfered plinth. Stone stoup, roughly squared with rounded bowl stands on rough pedestal by door. Art Nouveau style copper oil lamp suspended by iron chain. Floor slabs to (1) Margaret, 2nd daughter of Griffith Williams, Clerk, 1727 (2) Elizabeth, wife of Griffith Williams, 1710 (3) Jane Jones, 1721.  

An unusual example of a primitive, pre-archaeological early C19 Gothic church retaining its original interior.