St Gwenllwyfo's Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Gwenllwyfo's Church |
|
|---|---|
The church from the south-west
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SH 477 893 |
| Location | Dulas, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Dedication | Llanwenllwyfo |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 12 May 1970 |
| Architect(s) | Henry Kennedy |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Rubble masonry with slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Amlwch |
| Deanery | Twrcelyn |
| Archdeaconry | Bangor |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bangor |
| Province | Wales |
St Gwenllwyfo's Church is a beautiful church built in the 1800s. You can find it near the village of Dulas in Anglesey, Wales. It was constructed between 1854 and 1856.
This church replaced an older church that was too small. The old building also needed many repairs. Both churches are named after St Gwenllwyfo. The new church was built closer to the Llys Dulas estate. The owner of this estate gave a lot of money to help build it.
In 1876, a man named Sir Arundell Neave gave a special gift. He donated 27 panels of amazing stained glass. These panels were very old, from the 1400s and 1500s. They used to be in a monastery in Belgium.
Today, St Gwenllwyfo's Church is still used for worship. It is part of the Church in Wales. It's also a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important building. People especially value its "fine collection" of stained glass.
Contents
Discovering St Gwenllwyfo's Church: History and Location
St Gwenllwyfo's Church stands in a churchyard. It's on a hill next to a country road. The church is about 0.5 miles (1 km) from the beach at Dulas. This area is in the north-east of Anglesey, Wales.
The church was built in the mid-1800s. It cost £1,417 to build. It replaced an older church from the Middle Ages. That old church was then left empty. The medieval church, also named after St Gwenllwyfo, needed fixing. It was also too small for everyone who wanted to attend.
Even though many churchgoers lived in Nebo, the new church was built elsewhere. It was placed about two-thirds of a mile (1.1 km) south-west of the old one. This spot was near the Llys Dulas estate. The owners of this estate had long been connected to the church.
Who Helped Build the Church?
The biggest donation for the new parish church came from Gertrude. She was the widow of William Hughes, 1st Baron Dinorben. He had owned Llys Dulas and passed away in 1852. Gertrude gave £936 towards the church's cost. Her husband had become very rich from copper mining at Parys Mountain in Anglesey.
Gertrude also rebuilt the main house of Llys Dulas in the 1850s. Sadly, that house was taken down in 1976. Gertrude's daughter, Gwyn Gertrude Hughes, laid the first stone for the church. This happened on September 14, 1854. She used a special silver trowel and an ebony hammer.
A box was placed under the stone. It held a Bible, a prayer book, and a document about the event. It also had an example of every British coin made that year. Two clergymen spoke at the event. James Williams spoke in Welsh. Morris Williams, known as "Nicander," spoke in English. Henry Kennedy, the architect for the Diocese of Bangor, designed the church. It opened in 1856.
Special Gifts and Burials
Gwyn Gertrude Hughes married Sir Arundell Neave in 1871. In 1876, he gave the church some amazing 15th and 16th-century Flemish stained glass. He had inherited it from his father.
After Gwyn passed away in 1916, she was buried in a special vault. This vault is under the chancel of the church. Her mother, Gertrude, was also buried there in 1871. Before this, family members were buried in a different vault. But a family disagreement in 1849 led to the need for a new burial place.
St Gwenllwyfo's Church is still an active place of worship today. It is one of four churches in the parish of Amlwch. The others are St Eleth's, Amlwch, St Eilian's, Llaneilian, and St Tyfrodog, Llandyfrydog. The church is part of the Diocese of Bangor. As of 2012, H. V. Jones was the priest in charge.
Exploring the Church's Design and Features
The church was designed in the Gothic revival style. This means it looks like older Gothic churches. It is built from rubble masonry (rough stones) with gritstone details. The roof is made of slate.
At the west end of the church, there is a three-stage tower. It has strong supports called buttresses at its base. A tall spire sits on top of the tower. The tower has one window at the bottom. It has narrow windows in the middle section. Pairs of windows with decorative tops are just below the spire. The bell in the tower is from the 1700s and came from the old church.
Inside the Church
You enter St Gwenllwyfo's through a porch on the south side. Inside, a doorway leads into the vestry, which is in the tower. The main part of the church, called the nave, has four sections. The chancel, which is the area near the altar, has two sections.
The chancel is separated from the nave by a decorated arch. It is also a step higher than the nave. The sanctuary, where the altar is, is raised by three more steps. A rail marks this area.
The windows on the north side of the church have a trefoil pattern at the top. This looks like a three-leaf clover. The decorative tops of the windows are carved with faces. The south side of the church has many arched windows. Some are single, some are in pairs. They also have decorative tops. The large arched east window has three sections of glass. It also has trefoil patterns at the top. There's a doorway on the south side of the east wall, but it's now blocked up.
The Amazing Stained Glass
The stained glass panels given by Sir Arundell Neave are very special. They came from a monastery in Leuven, Belgium. Many of the glass pieces show unique Flemish symbols. Sir Arundell's father bought them from a German merchant.
Most of the 27 panels are from around 1522. However, some are even older, from the late 1300s or early 1400s. There are also some newer pieces from about 1600. Sir Arundell also gave other pieces of glass to a church in Essex. Other examples of glass from the same monastery are in famous museums. You can find them in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The east window shows scenes from the life of Jesus. These include his betrayal and crucifixion. You can also see the Adoration of the Magi and his return from Egypt with his family. The very top of this window uses glass fragments from a chapel. This chapel honored Pope Adrian VI. His tutor was Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, whose head also appears in the window. You can also see pictures of musical angels.
Other windows in the church show saints. Some depict events from Christ's life. One unique window even shows Jesus wearing a straw hat after his resurrection. This is said to be "very rare."
Memorials and Other Items
A survey in 1937 found a brass memorial plaque from 1609. Richard Williams put it up for his wife, Marcelie Lloyd. The plaque has three shields. One shows Williams's family symbol. Another shows Marcelie Lloyd's symbol. The middle one combines both. Below the shields, you can see the husband and wife. They are shown with their children, Anne, William, and Griffith, kneeling in prayer.
The survey also noted a simple silver cup from 1711–1712. Other communion items were given by Gwyn Gertrude Hughes in 1866. These included a silver chalice, a silver plate (paten), and a silver flagon. The church furniture, like the eight-sided wooden pulpit and choir stalls, is from the 1800s. However, the eight-sided font (for baptisms) was reused from the old church.
The church also has many other memorials. These are from the 1800s and 1900s. They remember members of the families connected to Llys Dulas. These families include Neave, Hughes, and Dinorben. In the nave, there are three funerary hatchments. These are black diamond-shaped boards. They show the family symbols of Lord Dinorben, his wife Gertrude, and Sir Arundel Neave. A large slate tablet on the west wall lists how much Gertrude and others gave to build the church. You can also see a model of the church made from matchsticks. It is kept in a glass case in the chancel.
Why St Gwenllwyfo's Church is Important
St Gwenllwyfo's Church is recognized nationally. It is protected by law from being changed. This is because it is a Grade II* listed building. This is the second-highest of three levels of protection. It means the building is "particularly important" and has "more than special interest." It received this status on May 12, 1970. It was listed as "a mid 19th-century Gothic revival church closely associated with the Llys Dulas estate."
Cadw is the Welsh government body that protects Wales's historic buildings. They note the church's "fine collection of 15th- and 16th-century Flemish stained glass panels." They say this is the "second largest such collection in the world." They also mention the 17th-century brass plaque.
A guide to Anglesey churches from 2006 calls the church "impressively large." It says the "steeply-pitched slate roof" makes the inside feel very spacious. The guide also mentions the "considerable amounts" of stained glass, calling it "impressive." It states that the church "contains a wealth of interesting items which are worth seeing."
A 2009 guide to buildings in the region describes the church as "a Victorian estate church." It says its "needle spire rising over trees" is "disproportionately tall." It also adds that it was "one of Kennedy's better works." The guide concludes that the stained glass is "outstanding."
