St Grwst's Church, Llanrwst

St Grwst's Church, Llanrwst, is located in Church Street (Tan yr Eglwys), Llanrwst, Conwy, Wales. It is an active Church in Wales parish church and is part of the Aberconwy Mission Area in the archdeaconry of St Asaph, and the diocese of St Asaph. Its benefice is united with those of Llanddoged with Capel Garmon, Llansanffraid Glan Conwy, and Eglwysbach.[1] The church is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building.[2]

St Grwst's Church, Llanrwst
St Grwst's Church, Llanrwst,
with the Gwydir Chapel in the foreground
St Grwst's Church, Llanrwst
Location in Conwy
LocationChurch Street (Tan yr Eglwys), Llanrwst, Conwy
CountryWales
DenominationChurch in Wales
WebsiteSt Grwst's Church
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSaint Grwst
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated19 February 1993
Architect(s)Paley and Austin
(1884 restoration and north aisle)
Paterson Macaulay & Owens
(2019 restoration and reordering)
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic, Gothic Revival
Specifications
Capacity250
MaterialsStone
Administration
ParishLlanrwst
DeaneryLlanrwst and Rhos
ArchdeaconrySt Asaph
DioceseSt Asaph
Clergy
RectorRevd Sarah Hildreth-Osborn

History

The church was built in the late 15th century, possibly in the 1470s.[2] The Gwydir Chapel was added in 1633–34 by Richard Wynn of Gwydir. The west tower was added in the early 19th century, replacing a bellcote.[3] In 1884 the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin restored the church and added a north aisle. They also removed the west gallery, and reseated the church, increasing its capacity to 362. The cost of their work amounted to £2,300 (equivalent to £240,000 in 2019).[4][5]

In 2019/2020 a major restoration and reordering project funded largely by the National Lottery Heritage Fund saw a new stone floor installed, together with new chairs, a kitchen and toilets.

Architecture

Exterior

St Grwst's is constructed in rubble stone with limestone dressings.[2] Its architectural style is Perpendicular.[3] The plan consists of a nave and chancel in a single range, a north aisle, a south porch, the Gwydir Chapel at the southeast corner, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with diagonal buttresses, and a castellated parapet. The Gwydir Chapel also has a castellated parapet. Both the chapel and the nave have four-light east windows.[2]

  • 1830, Engraving
  • St Grwst 2007
  • St Grwst 2007
  • Interior before 2019 reordering

Interior

Inside the church is a north arcade of three bays, carried on octagonal piers. The rood screen is still present, and has retained its loft. It is considered to be one of the finest in Wales.[2] It has twelve bays, with a central doorway. Its tracery is elaborately carved with a vine-trail rail, and depictions of such subjects as the Instruments of the Passion, and pigs eating acorns.[2] The font has a "bowl of weird organic forms".[3] Also in the church are painted Royal arms dating from before 1801.[3] The Gwydir Chapel contains 17th-century fittings and fixtures, including stalls, a lectern and a communion table.[2] There are also numerous monuments and a 13th-century stone coffin; the latter is said to be that of Llywelyn the Great. The monuments which date from about 1440 to the 17th century, include those of Sir John Wynn, who died in 1627, and other members of the Wynn family.[3]

The Llanrwst Bell has been described as an old funeral bell and, according to Geraldus Cambrensis was in use about 450 AD. The bells, from Ireland, were originally used as cattle bells but later adapted for ecclesiastical purposes.[6]

See also

References
  1. Parishes, Church in Wales, retrieved 28 June 2012
  2. Cadw, "Parish Church of St Grwst (3622)", National Historic Assets of Wales, retrieved 11 April 2019
  3. Hubbard, Edward (1986), Clwyd, The Buildings of Wales, London: Penguin, pp. 234–235, ISBN 0-14-071052-3
  4. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  5. Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 235, ISBN 978-1-84802-049-8
  6. "Interesting Features – The Parish of Llanrwst". churchinwales.org. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
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