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Latitude: 52.858 / 52°51'28"N
Longitude: -4.1077 / 4°6'27"W
OS Eastings: 258188
OS Northings: 331024
OS Grid: SH581310
Mapcode National: GBR 5Q.RYG5
Mapcode Global: WH55Z.WF4C
Plus Code: 9C4QVV5R+5W
Entry Name: Parish Church of St Tanwg
Listing Date: 21 June 2001
Last Amended: 21 June 2001
Grade: II
Source: Cadw
Source ID: 25501
Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary
ID on this website: 300025501
Location: Located within its own churchyard set back on a bend in the town's main street (Stryd Fawr).
County: Gwynedd
Community: Harlech
Community: Harlech
Built-Up Area: Harlech
Traditional County: Merionethshire
Tagged with: Church building
Parish Church built 1838-40 on land provided by Sir Robert Williams Vaughan of Nannau and Hengwrt Bart., a prominent North Walian landowner and benefactor. The church superseded the former medieval garrison chapel located near the castle.
Small parish church in simple lancet style. The plan consists of a 3-bay nave with small 2-bay chancel and a short N aisle. Slatestone construction, with coursed, squared blocks, and buff sandstone dressings; shallowish slate roof with coped and kneelered gable parapets and gable cross to the E; tiled ridge and moulded sandstone eaves. The W facade is symmetrical and has a shallow gable with buttresses set back at the corners. This has a central pointed-arched entrance with smaller flanking lancets and a triple lancet group to the centre above; all have splays and moulded, returned labels, the entrance with boarded door. Gabled bell-cote, corbelled-out slightly to the W and with segmental chamfered bell opening.
The S side of the nave has narrow buttresses with sandstone gablets defining the bay divisions; wide pointed-arched lancets with splayed reveals and moulded, returned labels. The N side is similar in the 2 westernmost bays, the third being occupied by the N aisle. This is gabled as before and has a similar arched window. The narrow chancel is stepped-down and set back from the nave and has buttressing as before; splayed lancets to each side with a triple lancet group to the unparapeted E gable. A C20 corrugated iron lean-to on brick piers is extruded in the NE corner between the nave and chancel.
Plain interior with plaster removed from all nave walls except around the chancel and S transept arches; slate-flagged floors. Seven-bay roof with straight braced collar trusses with king-posts and small raking struts above the collars. Plain W gallery with C20 partitioning of the lower section; moulded rail and sill-beam. At the W end is a C15 Perpendicular font; octagonal and of sandstone, with blind tracery panels and quatrefoils to the base and basin, the latter with a quatrefoil to each face. This presumably comes from the predecessor of the present church. Simple octagonal oak pulpit with punched quatrefoil above 2 trefoil-headed lights on each face; moulded base and top.
A chamfered and pointed chancel arch leads to the stepped up chancel; simple tiled pavement. Thin arched-braced collar truss roof of 2 full and 2 half bays, the braces returned onto moulded corbels with applied shields. Oak choirstalls in simple Gothic style with scrolled bench ends; plain C20 altar rails. The E wall has a shallow pointed-arched recess containing the E window group.
The N transept has a depressed pointed arch and is occupied by a simple early C20 Gothic organ.
Stained and Painted Glass: the E windows have figurative scenes showing the Assumption flanked by the Nativity (L) and a scene of the Mourning Magdalen (R); dated 1943 and in memory of F J Parker-Jones. Nave SE window has a panel showing Christ as Good Shepherd; similar dedication.
Listed as a largely unaltered early Victorian town church in simple pre-ecclesiological Gothic style.
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.
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