St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad |
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A view from the north-west; the north chapel is on the left, the nave (with the vestry attached) to the right
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| OS grid reference | SH 495 841 |
| Location | near Marian-glas, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Website | Llanallgo and Llaneugrad parish website |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | c. 605 |
| Founder(s) | Eugrad |
| Dedication | Eugrad |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 12 May 1970 |
| Style | Decorated |
| Specifications | |
| Length | Nave: 18 ft 9 in (5.7 m) |
| Nave width | 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) |
| Other dimensions | Chancel: 12 ft 9 in by 10 ft 6 in (3.9 by 3.2 m) |
| Materials | Rubble masonry |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Llaneugrad and Llanallgo with Penrhosllugwy with Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd |
| Deanery | Twrcelyn |
| Archdeaconry | Bangor |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bangor |
| Province | Province of Wales |
St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad, is an old church located near the village of Marian-glas in Anglesey, north Wales. It is believed that Saint Eugrad founded a church here around the year 605. However, the oldest parts of the building you see today, like the main hall (called the nave) and the area around the altar (the chancel), were built in the 12th century.
Later, in the 16th century, a side chapel was added. The church also had some repairs and updates in the 19th century. Inside, you can find a special stone bowl for baptisms (a baptismal font) from the 12th century. There's also a carved stone from the 13th century showing the crucifixion. A memorial inside remembers an officer who died when the ship Royal Charter sank off Anglesey in 1859.
This church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales. It is one of four churches in its local area. St Eugrad's is a very important building, listed as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's considered "particularly important" because it's a great example of a simple country church from the past. Its medieval parts, especially the arch leading to the chancel, are quite rare survivors from such an early time in the region.
A Look Back: History and Where It Is
St Eugrad's Church is found in the quiet countryside in the north-east of Anglesey, north Wales. It's about half a mile (800 meters) from the village of Marian-glas. The church stands alone in an oval-shaped churchyard, next to a small lane. The area around the church, called Llaneugrad, gets its name from the church itself. In Welsh, the word llan originally meant "enclosure" and later came to mean "church."
Writers from the 1800s said that Saint Eugrad founded the church around 605 AD. Eugrad was one of the sons of St Caw, a king from northern Britain. He was also the brother of St Gallgo, who founded a nearby church. St Gallgo's and St Eugrad's churches have been part of the same church area since at least 1253.
None of the original building from the early 600s remains today. The oldest parts of the church, the walls of the nave and the chancel, date back to the 12th century. Doorways were added in the 14th and 15th centuries. A chapel was built on the north side of the chancel in the 16th century. This was a time when many churches added extra altars for devotion to Saint Mary.
In the 17th century, the nave got a new roof. A porch was added to the south-west corner and a small room (a vestry) to the north-west in the mid-1800s. Some careful restoration work also happened later in that century.
St Eugrad's is still an active church for the Church in Wales. It is part of a group of four churches in the area. As of 2025, the church holds services of Holy Communion or Morning Prayer (in English) most Sunday mornings.
What the Church Looks Like Inside and Out
St Eugrad's Church is built in a style called Decorated. It uses rough stones (called rubble masonry) with smoother stone details. The roof is made of slate, and it has a small bell tower (a bellcote) at the west end from the 17th century, holding one bell. Stone crosses sit at the top of the roof ends. Most of the outside walls have a pebbly finish, except for parts of the chapel and the south porch. The vestry and porch have flat roofs with decorative battlements.
You enter the church through the porch at the south-west corner. This leads to a round-arched doorway from the 15th century. Inside, the main hall (nave) and the chancel are separated by a 12th-century arch, which is now covered in plaster. The nave is about 5.7 meters long and 3.8 meters wide.
On the north side of the nave, a 14th-century doorway leads into the 19th-century vestry. Next to this doorway, there's a stone basin for holy water (a stoup) and a carved stone showing the crucifixion. This carving shows a simple figure on a wheel cross and is likely from the 13th century. The plain stone bowl for baptisms (the baptismal font), believed to be from the 12th century, is at the west end of the nave.
The chancel is about 3.9 meters long and 3.2 meters wide. Its roof is from the 16th century. The south wall of the chancel has a decorated wooden panel from 1644, which used to be part of a pulpit. The north wall was removed when the chapel was added, with a beam placed across the opening. The chapel itself is about 6.1 meters long and 3.9 meters wide. Its roof is also from the 16th century.
Most of the church's windows are from the 19th century. There is no colorful stained glass; all the windows have clear glass. The church's furniture, like the pews and pulpit, are also from the 19th century and have decorative trefoil (three-leaf) shapes.
There are several memorials inside the church. Some are from the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s, honoring members of the Williams family who owned the land. A special stone memorial in a style called Art Nouveau remembers John Groome. He was the Fourth Officer of the Royal Charter, a ship that sank off Anglesey in 1859, causing the loss of over 440 lives.
Why St Eugrad's Church is Important
St Eugrad's Church is recognized nationally as a very important building. It is protected by law as a Grade II* listed building. This is the second-highest level of protection, meaning it's a "particularly important building of more than special interest." It received this status on May 12, 1970. It is valued as a "simple rural church" that shows the typical style of churches on Anglesey. It is also important because it still has many parts from the 12th century.
Cadw, the Welsh Government body that looks after Wales's historic buildings, highlights several reasons for its importance. They note the chancel arch, which is a rare surviving feature from such an early building in the area. They also mention the 13th-century crucifixion stone and the 16th-century chancel roof and chapel.
In 1833, a historian named Angharad Llwyd described the church as "a small but stately edifice, of lofty proportions and venerable appearance." Another visitor in 1844, Harry Longueville Jones, called it "one of the simplest in the island." He also noted the "rudely sculptured crucifixal figure" and felt the church, though neglected at the time, deserved to be "carefully preserved" because of its unique architectural features.
A guide to Anglesey churches from 2006 mentions the "considerable headroom" inside the nave and chancel. It also points out the "very large beam" between the chancel and chapel. A 2009 guide describes St Eugrad's as "very small," adding that it's "small enough to have preserved its plan from the Early Christian Church."
