St Mary's Church, Betws-y-Coed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Betws-y-Coed |
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St Mary's Church, Betws-y-Coed, from the southeast
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| 53°05′30″N 3°48′10″W / 53.0916°N 3.8028°W | |
| Location | Betws-y-Coed, Conwy |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Website | St Mary, Betws-y-Coed |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 21 January 1988 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Transitional Norman |
| Groundbreaking | 1870 |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Construction cost | £5,000 (£320,000 in 2021) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Rubble stone with sandstone dressings slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Arllechwedd |
| Archdeaconry | Bangor |
| Diocese | Bangor |
St Mary's Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Betws-y-Coed, in Conwy, Wales. It's an active church that belongs to the Church in Wales, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Christian family. This church is very special, so it has been given a Grade II* listed building status by Cadw. This means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church was built between 1870 and 1873. It was needed because more and more visitors were coming to the area in the summer. The church was designed by a company called Paley and Austin from Lancaster. They won a competition to design it!
A kind businessman from Liverpool named Charles Kurtz gave a lot of money to help build the church. It was officially opened and blessed in July 1873. The church could seat about 150 people. It replaced an older church from the Middle Ages that was dedicated to Saint Michael. The building cost about £5,000 at the time. The church's tall tower was finished later, in 1907.
What the Church Looks Like
Outside the Church
St Mary's Church is built from rough, natural stones called rubble stone. It has smooth sandstone around the windows and doors. The roofs are made of slate. The church's style is called Transitional Norman, which means it mixes older Norman designs with newer styles.
The church is shaped like a cross when you look at it from above. This is called a cruciform plan. There's a tower right in the middle, where the arms of the cross meet. This spot is called the crossing.
To the west of the tower is the main part of the church, called the nave. It has four sections, with lower parts on the sides called aisles. Above the aisles, there are windows high up, known as a clerestory. There's also a porch on the north side. To the east of the tower is the chancel, which is where the altar is.
On the north side of the tower, there's a four-story stair turret with a pointy roof. The middle part of the tower has narrow, tall windows called lancet windows. At the very top, there are more lancet windows with wooden slats, called louvred lancets, next to clock faces. On the south side, there are decorative arches that don't open, known as blind arcading. The top edge of the tower, called the parapet, has steps at the corners.
Along the sides of the aisles, clerestories, and chancel, you'll see more lancet windows. At the east end of the church, there's a large window with five sections and decorative stone patterns called plate tracery. At the west end, there's a round window, like a big flower, called a rose window, also with plate tracery.
Inside the Church
Inside St Mary's, you'll see rows of pointed arches, which are also called arcades. The font, where baptisms happen, is made of beautiful black and burgundy marble. The pulpit, where sermons are given, is made of sandstone. Both are in a style called Early English.
In the south wall of the chancel, there's a special carved-out space, or recess. In the north wall, there's a small cupboard called an aumbry, used to store sacred items. The floor of the chancel is covered with decorative tiles. The wooden seats for the choir and the desks for reading are designed in the Arts and Crafts style.
A beautiful piece of art called a reredos was added in 1929. It's made of Italian alabaster and shows scenes from the Passion of Christ, which tells the story of Jesus's last days. Most of the colorful stained glass windows were made by a company called Shrigley and Hunt. Other windows were made by Jones and Willis, based on drawings by Edward Burne-Jones.
The church also has a large organ with two manuals (keyboards). It was built in 1870 by Gray and Davison. The organ was made bigger in 1913 and again around 1920 by the same company. In 1969, it was rebuilt by Wood Wordsworth and Company.
See also
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
