5283

 

II  

Designated  

05/04/1971  

31/01/2001  

Church of St Llwydian  

 

Isle of Anglesey  

Bodffordd  

 

Bodffordd  

242239  

376122  

 

Set back, within an irregularly shaped churchyard, from the N side of the road linking the A5 with the B5109 at Bodffordd.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Mid C19 church for the parish of Heneglwys. The church was rebuilt in 1845 on the same plan and in the same style as the former church and much of the old materials were reused. The architect was the Rector J Wynne Jones. The former church is thought to have been C14, probably replacing the 'old church' (Heneglwys) which, judging from the reset Norman stonework, was built in C12. The present church building has reset C14 and C15 windows, and late C14 openings in the porch; the E window is a mid C19 replica of the original. Built into the walling above the N and S doorways are carved Norman stones, heads of beasts thought (by RCAHMW) to be lions, below chevron ornaments. Their positions in the original church is unknown, they probably formed the voussoirs of doorways. There was a restoration in 1896 under the direction of the architect P S Gregory.  

Mid C19 church, built to the C14 plan; nave and chancel structurally undivided, entrance in SW porch. Built of rubble masonry with rubble plinth and freestone dressings. Roof of large thin slates, laid to diminishing courses and of random widths; stone copings, stone cross at E gable and dressed stone W bellcote for 3 bells housed in round arched openings. Entry to the church is via a late C14 pointed arched doorway with chamfered jambs and moulded soffit in the SW porch; there is a trefoil-headed light of the same date in its E wall. The nave has rectangular framed windows, the N and S walls with mirrored openings, all with hood moulds. To the E of the porch are 2 C19 windows of 3 cinquefoil-headed lights; to the W is a late C14 window of 2 trefoil-headed lights (the opposing window is late C15). Opposing the SW porch is a C14 pointed arched doorway. Both N and S entrances have C12 carved stones above depicting beasts head under chevron designs, reset Norman voussoirs. The W gable of the nave has a single trefoil-headed light set high in the gable apex and the E chancel window is a C19 replica of the C14 window of the former church; 3 trefoil-headed lights in a cusped tracery pointed arch frame with hoodmould.  

Within the porch is a pointed arched doorway with moulded chamfered jambs, an inscribed stone over the doorway bears the date 1845. The nave and chancel are structurally undivided with a C19 roof of 5 roof bays; exposed king post trusses with angled braces and wall posts down to plain corbels. The fittings are C19, the sanctuary is raised by 3 steps and has a moulded rail on shaped balusters. There is a pierced panelled reredos and the pulpit has ogee-headed, cinquefoil traceried facing panels under a corbelled cornice. To the rear (W end) of the church there is a C12 arcaded font, thought (by Hughes) to be the earliest example of its kind on the island: a circular bowl tapering slightly from the base with low relief ornament of a series of round-headed arches on pilasters with simple abaci and bases; above is a band of Greek fret and below a band of lozenge pattern. There is a fragment of a C5 or C6 inscribed stone set in the sill of the westernmost window in the N wall which reads: ... FILIVS · EV ... / NIMA · REQVIES ... / ... E At the W end of the church there are a number of C18 gravestones set into the floor. The N wall of the nave has a slate memorial tablet to Catherine (Owen), wife of Thomas Roberts of Tynyllan d1783, his children by his wife Elizabeth, Catherine d1797, Owen d1805, David and Owen d1808. The S wall has a stone memorial tablet to Evan Roberts James of Bodwine d1695, a brass memorial tablet to John Roberts of Bodwiney d1615 and an early C20 marble memorial to L-CPL William Arthur Lloyd Jones d1918. The windows are of coloured glass, the E window in bold geometric and floral pattern and with a banner across all three lights bearing the Welsh translation of John VI LIII.  

Listed as a good mid C19 rural church, with a strong vernacular character gained by the retention of the C14 plan and much of the Medieval fabric and architectural features.