St Giles' Church, Wrexham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Giles' Church |
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| The Parish Church of St Giles | |
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Eglwys San Silyn
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"The Glory of the Marches".
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| Location | Church Street, Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, LL13 8LS |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Website | St Giles' Church |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Style | Perpendicular |
| Years built | c. 16th century |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Wrexham |
| Diocese | Diocese of St Asaph |
St Giles' Parish Church (Welsh: Eglwys San Silyn) is a very old and important church in Wrexham, Wales. Many people think it is one of the most beautiful churches in Wales. It is a Grade I listed building, which means it is a very special historic place. Sir Simon Jenkins called it 'the glory of the Marches'.
The church has a famous tower built in the 1500s. It stands 41 m (136 feet) tall and you can see it from far away. This tower is even one of the 'Seven Wonders of Wales'!
People have worshipped God on this spot for at least 800 years. The main part of the church you see today was built in the late 1400s and early 1500s. It is one of the greatest medieval buildings still standing in Wales.
Inside, St Giles' Church has many amazing things. You can find old carvings and statues from the 1300s. There are also monuments by famous artists like Roubiliac. Look for a stained-glass window that might have been designed by Burne-Jones. The church also has one of Britain's oldest brass eagle lecterns.
Outside, in the churchyard, is the tomb of Elihu Yale. He was a very important person who helped start Yale University in the United States. Because of this connection, one of the towers at Yale University was designed to look like the tower of St Giles'.
Contents
Discovering St Giles' History
Early Beginnings of the Church
A small chapel might have been built here by a Celtic saint named Silin. People in 1620 mentioned a piece of land called 'St Silin’s acre'. This shows how important the saint was in the area. Both 'Silin' and 'Giles' come from the Latin name Aegidius. By 1494, the church was known as 'Saint Giles'.
There might have been a church in Wrexham as early as the 1000s. The church you see today is probably the third one built on this same spot. The first time the church was mentioned was in 1220. The Bishop of St Asaph gave half of the church's income to the monks of Valle Crucis Abbey in Llangollen. In 1247, Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, a Welsh prince, also gave his support to the monks for the Wrexham church.
Rebuilding After Disasters
In 1330, a strong storm blew down the church tower. A new church was then built in a style called 'Decorated'. Some parts of this 1300s church are still part of the current building. Later, in 1457 or 1463, a fire badly damaged the church. Work on the present building started on the same site. It used some features from the 1300s church, like its round pillars.
The main part of St Giles' was built between the late 1400s and early 1500s. The church has beautiful decorations with symbols of the Tudor royal family. It is thought that Lady Margaret Beaufort helped pay for it. She was the mother of King Henry VII. Her family had strong ties to the Wrexham area.
During the English Civil War in 1643, soldiers destroyed the church's organ. People said it was 'the fairest organ in Europe'.
In the 1700s, the famous artist JMW Turner painted the church. The writer Samuel Johnson called it a 'very large and magnificent church'.
Part of the church used to be Wrexham's first fire station. There were no fire engines back then. People had to run from the town to get ropes, water, and ladders. Then they would run back to fight fires.
In 2015, a very rare first edition King James Bible from 1611 was found. It had been stored in the church for centuries.
Amazing Architecture and Artworks
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The Famous Tower
The church's tower is very fancy and has five levels. It is 135 feet high and has four cool hexagonal turrets. Building started in 1506. It is thought that William Hart of Bristol designed it. The tower has 30 niches and many statues and carvings. Some carvings show an arrow and a deer, which are symbols of Saint Giles. People think this tower might have inspired the Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster in London.
Inside the Church
The main part of the church, called the nave, has arches from the 1300s. The rest of the church is in a style called 'Perpendicular'. It has a unique polygonal chancel, which is similar to the one at Westminster Abbey.
Above the main arch inside, you can see parts of a 'Doom painting' from the early 1500s. This type of painting showed what people believed would happen on Judgement Day. The church's inside has amazing carvings and statues from the 1300s and 1500s. The wooden roof from the 1500s is decorated with colorful wooden angels playing musical instruments. There are many monuments, including a detailed one by Roubiliac. The brass eagle lectern was given to the church in 1524.
The church has beautiful stained-glass windows. Some were made by the studio of Burne-Jones. Others were made by Charles Eamer Kempe. The words of the hymn "From Greenland's Icy Mountains" are etched on a window. This hymn was written and first sung here in 1819.
The church also has a medieval statue of a Welsh knight. It was found buried in the churchyard in the early 1800s. The knight has long hair and holds a shield with a lion. The words on it say 'HIC JACET KENEVERIKE AP HOVEL', which means 'Here lies Cyneurig ap Hywel'.
Elihu Yale's Tomb
Just west of the tower is the grave of Elihu Yale. Yale University in the United States is named after him. Members of Yale University fixed his tomb in 1968. This was to celebrate 250 years since he helped the university. His tomb has a poem he wrote himself, which starts:
Born in America,
in Europe bred,
In Africa travell'd and in Asia wed,
Where long he liv'd and thriv'd;
in London dead
You enter the churchyard through beautiful iron gates. These gates were made in 1720 by the Davies Brothers. They were famous for their iron work, including gates at Chirk Castle.
In 2012, a webcam was set up to show a live view of St Giles'. Also in 2012, a beacon was lit on top of the church for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Since 2012, the inside of the church has been changed. The chancel area is now St David's Chapel. The north aisle is home to the chapel of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. This is now part of the Royal Welsh Regiment.
Fun Facts and Legends
Local Legends
A local story says that work on the church first started somewhere else. But each day's work was destroyed at night. A ghostly voice was heard crying "Bryn y Grôg", meaning 'Hill of the Cross'. People believed this was a sign from God. It meant the church should be built on the nearby hill of that name instead.
People believed the tower falling down in 1330 was a punishment from God. This was because the town's market was held on a Sunday. So, market day was moved to a Thursday. The tower fell on St Catherine's day. A statue of St Catherine is on the east wall of the tower, perhaps to protect it.
There is a carving that looks like Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. For some reason, it shows him with donkey ears!
In May 1581, a Catholic martyr named St Richard Gwyn was brought to St Giles'. He was carried around the font and put in heavy chains in front of the pulpit. But he made so much noise with his chains that no one could hear the preacher!
There was a local story that Oliver Cromwell fired a cannonball at the church tower. This was during the English Civil War.
The church organ is even mentioned in an old play called The Pilgrim (1647). In the play, a Welsh character says the organs at Wrexham were made by 'revelations'.
One of the most popular hymns of the 1800s, 'From Greenland's Icy Mountains', was written here. Reginald Heber composed it during a visit to the vicarage. It was first sung in public in the church in 1819.
In Acton Park in Wrexham, there is a carved stone block. It was taken from the church during repairs in the early 1900s. People say it has magical powers. If you climb on it, you won't be able to get off!
There's a rumor that Elihu Yale's gravestone was stolen. Some people say a secret society at Yale University took it. They supposedly display it in a glass case in their hall.
According to legend, there are many old underground tunnels under Wrexham city centre. They are said to start somewhere under St Giles' Church. Most of them end in pubs around the area!
One of the Seven Wonders
The church's tower is traditionally one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. These wonders are remembered in an old rhyme:
- Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,
- Snowdon's mountain without its people,
- Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells,
- Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells.
The rhyme mistakenly calls the church's tower a "steeple".
Gallery
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A 19th-century wood engraving view from the south-west
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St Giles' Church viewed from the north-east
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J. M. W. Turner, 'Wrexham, Denbighshire' (watercolour, late 18th century)
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The tomb of Elihu Yale
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'Wrexham Tower' of Yale University, US
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The face of the devil in the nave roof
