History in Structure

St. Mary's Church

A Grade II Listed Building in Menai Bridge, Isle of Anglesey

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.2234 / 53°13'24"N

Longitude: -4.1654 / 4°9'55"W

OS Eastings: 255534

OS Northings: 371783

OS Grid: SH555717

Mapcode National: GBR 5N.0W3G

Mapcode Global: WH546.Z7NQ

Plus Code: 9C5Q6RFM+9V

Entry Name: St. Mary's Church

Listing Date: 18 July 1997

Last Amended: 18 July 1997

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 18562

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: St Mary's Church, Menai Bridge

ID on this website: 300018562

Location: In an elevated position on a rocky outcrop above the town, set back from the corner of Telford Road and Mona Road, N of the Menai Suspension Bridge.

County: Isle of Anglesey

Town: Menai Bridge

Community: Menai Bridge (Porthaethwy)

Community: Menai Bridge

Built-Up Area: Menai Bridge

Traditional County: Anglesey

Tagged with: Church building

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Menai Bridge

History

Built in 1858 to accommodate the congregation of Menai Bridge which had grown too large for the church of St. Tysilio on Church Island. Traditionalists wanted to keep the church on the island, but in 1850 the rector, Reverend T Jones Williams, insisted the church be built on the mainland, on a site granted by the Marquess of Anglesey. The final cost of construction was £1450; H Kennedy, architect of Bangor and R Parry, builder. The original church was simple and austere with no adornments, stained glass or organ. The organ was presented to the church by H Davies of Carreg yr Halen and stained glass windows added later.

Exterior

Decorated Gothic style church, built of random rubble with sandstone dressings, continuous sill band and plinth, and offset angled buttresses. Slate roof with stone copings. Nave of 3 bays, shorter narrower chancel to E with single pitched roof N transept, square bell tower with crocket finials to W and steeply pitched roofed porch to SW of the nave. Reticulated traceried windows with sandstone labels and relieving arches over, floriated label stops to nave windows and human faces to chancel. Nave has 3-light windows flanking the porch, single light to right and paired light to far right; N wall with 3-light window to W end, central bay with paired 2-light windows and 4-light windows to E end. Chancel has 3-light S window and 5-light window in E gable. Porch has pointed arch entrance of 4 chamfered orders. W tower of 3 stages, W face lower stage with chamfered arched doorway, 3-light window to middle stage with bell stage above 2 strings and clock face. Bell stage, each face: pointed arched vents with cusped tracery to upper part and hood mould, set within rectangular recess with corbelled head. Bracketed string over. N transept with single square headed window and camber headed door in E wall.

Interior

Plastered painted walls. Nave of 6 roof bays, chancel of 3 roof bays, both with exposed collared trusses with cusped braces, carried down to wall posts and corbels with shield design on facing panels. Chancel raised by 3 steps with arch of 4 chamfered orders. Sanctuary is raised by further 2 steps with granite reredos of 3 bays across E wall: Central bay is advanced with cusped panels to lower part and upper part a single panel with carving of the last supper, flanking bays of cusped panels. Reredos erected in 1885, to Arabella Holt, from her sister Elizabeth Archerley Symes.

West tower with arch of 2 orders, now blocked with pointed entrance doorway and circular modern stained glass window above. Bell stage is reached by circular staircase in SW corner lit by small open lights. N transept reached by pointed arch doorway contains organ blower and vestry.

Glass: Nave; N wall, E window, scenes of the nativity, 1882, to Col. Henry Capel Sandys; central window, 1890, to Edwin Capel Sandys; S wall, E window, 1876, to Lady Sarah Hay Williams; E central window, 1878, to William Mason Crowthers, agent to Rhianfa Estate; central window, 1893, to Richard Norman, Capt. Royal Fuseliers; Chancel, E window, ascension, 1869, to Pamela Holt

Fittings: Font; octagonal granite carved with floriate designs in quartrefoil recessess in each panel and set on circular granite column with 4 pink marble outer columns topped by stiff leafed foliage, 1900, presented by Alice Morgan of Plascoedmor to her husband, Francis Frederick Richard Mansell Morgan JPDL. Pulpit; octagonal, pine, 4 facing panels with cusped carving to upper part. Pews and choir stalls of pitch pine. Brass sanctuary rail on twisted stanchions and ornate foliate brackets, 1911, to A R Moulsdale.

Monuments: Nave, N wall, copper cross on wood, war memorial.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a well-detailed Gothic revival Church (one of a series on Anglesey by Henry Kennedy), in a consciously vernacular idiom. The church is of historical significence for its very clear association with the urban development of Menai Bridge in the mid C19.

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 Telford Milestone, Mona Road
    Located on the east side of Mona Road, being the first milestone on the Anglesey side of the A5. Abutting the wall to the north of the gateway to St. Mary's Church.
  • II Bryn Lwyd
    In an elevated position set above the NW side of Bridge Street opposite the English Presbyterian Chapel.
  • II New Street
    New Street is between the main road through the settlement and the shore line, NE of the suspension bridge on the west side of a rocky outcrop.
  • II New Street
    New Street is between the main road through the settlement and the shore line, NE of the suspension bridge on the west side of a rocky outcrop.
  • II Capel Mawr Chapel House
    Within the grounds and S of Capel Mawr Presbyterian Chapel, at the corner of Chapel Street and New Street.
  • II* Capel Mawr Presbyterian Chapel
    Prominently sited on the corner of Chapel Street and New Street.
  • II English Presbyterian Chapel
    Prominently sited on the south side of Bridge Street, next to the Victoria Hotel.
  • II Craig yr Halen
    Located in grounds at the lower end of Menai Bridge off Beach Road, SW of the Anglesey Arms Hotel

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