History in Structure

Church of St Gwyninin

A Grade II Listed Building in Botwnnog, Gwynedd

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Coordinates

Latitude: 52.84 / 52°50'23"N

Longitude: -4.5756 / 4°34'32"W

OS Eastings: 226619

OS Northings: 330048

OS Grid: SH266300

Mapcode National: GBR 53.T4ZC

Mapcode Global: WH44M.PWB5

Plus Code: 9C4QRCQF+XQ

Entry Name: Church of St Gwyninin

Listing Date: 19 October 1971

Last Amended: 11 February 1998

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 4257

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

ID on this website: 300004257

Location: 1.69km S of Botwnnog village,to the E of the minor road, in a small churchyard which has several C19 tomb-chests and is enclosed by a wall with horizontal railings.

County: Gwynedd

Town: Pwllheli

Community: Botwnnog

Community: Botwnnog

Locality: Llandegwynin

Traditional County: Caernarfonshire

Tagged with: Church building

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History

Rebuilt in 1840 to designs of architect John Welch, who also designed the church of St Michael, Betwys-yn-Rhos and Flint town hall.

Exterior

Small church in primitive Gothic style with appealing, lop-sided, W tower; nave and chancel together under a single roof. Granite rubble stone laid in irregular, uncoursed blocks; slate roof with narrow gable coping. Tower: octagonal base rises above the ridge of the nave roof; the top has small upright stone shafts at the angles which link to a string course below. At ground-level, above a plain plinth, the W face of the tower has a blind pointed-arched recess, echoing similar recesses each side of the tower in the W wall of the nave. Above this recess is a pointed-arched window with Y-tracery, lattice glazing with small-pane leaded lights; stone voussoirs and a slate sill. Between the window and the blind opening is an incised slate tablet: 'This church was rebuilt in the year 1840 /Robert Jones Rector / John Williams, John Griffith Church Wardens'. Inset into the tower wall to right is rectangular slate sun-dial. A circular belfry forms the second stage of the tower; this is slightly set-back and has four small pointed-arched bell-openings with horizontal slates as louvres. Above a squat conical tower rises from a shallow conical base; the top capped by a granite ball finial and iron cross. The S front has three pointed arched Y-traceried windows, with 4-panes to the lower window. The arch to the left window has stone voussoirs, the two arches to the right are in brick; all three have thin slate sills. The entrance door, between the two windows closest to the tower, is again pointed-arched but with bigger dressed granite blocks as voussoirs; plank door. N Side has single window with brick head, as before. E elevation has bigger Y-tracery window with 6-panes to lower window. Iron cross at the gable-end.

Interior

Interior of great simplicity and charm: nave and chancel under one roof. Whitewashed walls; painted brick flooring squares. Five bays; early-C19 type of collar truss with king post, supported by straight braces which spring from wall plates on either side. W end of nave has tall pointed-arch which opens into the tower; the lower part of the arch is enclosed by a boarded partition (with partly-glazed boarded door); the top of which forms front to W gallery; moulded handrail and turned balusters. Centre aisle to nave with box pews either side: painted green and grained. Pulpit forms part of the box pew enclosure on the N side; canted at the angles with recessed panels. Wooden communion rail with trefoil headed openings. C13-C14 Font, deep circular basin with roll moulding to lower edge, seven-sided shaft on a chamfered plinth. Stone stoup, roughly squared with rounded bowl stands on rough pedestal by door. Art Nouveau style copper oil lamp suspended by iron chain. Floor slabs to (1) Margaret, 2nd daughter of Griffith Williams, Clerk, 1727 (2) Elizabeth, wife of Griffith Williams, 1710 (3) Jane Jones, 1721.

Reasons for Listing

An unusual example of a primitive, pre-archaeological early C19 Gothic church retaining its original interior.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

  • II Bridge at Trewen
    Bridge over the River Soch, on the outskirts of Botwnnog village in open meadows on the W side of the minor road leading S to Llandegwning.
  • II Coach House and Stables at Plas Gelliwig
    On the N side of a yard located some 50m S of Plas Gelliwig which includes a circular stone pond with central pillar (said to be the remains of a former dovecote) in middle.
  • II Plas Gelliwig
    In an extensive wooded garden, now partly overgrown, some 1.5 miles SW of Botwnnog village, reached along a lane which runs S off the minor road.
  • II Pont Rhyd-goch
    Bridge over the River Soch, on the outskirts of Botwnnog village on the minor road leading W past Plas Coch.
  • II Efail Pont y Gof
    N of the roadside next to a bend in the B4413 road at the W end of Botwnnog village.
  • II Old School
    To S of St Beuno's Church against churchyard
  • II Church of St Beuno
    Next to the school at the N end of Botwnnog village on the E side of the minor road, in a walled and gated burial ground.
  • II* Nanhoron
    Approximately 1.69km E of Botwnnog, reached along a private drive some 150m S from the B4413, surrounded by the estate park to the S and a walled vegetable and flower garden to the N.

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