The name or dedication of the church.
This identifies the church type. Most churches are parish churches which means they serve a specific parish or area. Other types such as chapel, daughter and mission are mostly historic designations as many are now also parish churches. Please note that former churches are no longer used for worhsip and may be in private ownership.
A unique identification number given to every church.
The name of the diocese in which the church is located.
The name of the archdeaconry in which the church is located.
This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.
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There are 3 levels of listing: Grade I, II* & II. The majority of buildings which are of special interest are Grade II. A much smaller number of particularly important buildings are listed as Grade II*. Buildings of exceptional interest (approx 2% of the total number of listed buildings) are Grade I.
Ancient monuments and archaeological remains of national importance are protected by law. Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service is responsible for compiling a schedule (list) of these ancient monuments, some of which can be found in churches and churchyards. Examples can include churchyard crosses and the archaeological remains of previous churches or buildings on the site.
There are three National Parks in Wales: Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons. These protect 20 percent of the land in Wales, including precious landscapes, habitats, villages and heritage sites.
There are over 500 conservation areas in Wales. They are designated by local planning authorities for their special architectural and historic interest.
The Buildings at Risk register is managed by Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service) in order to identify the number and type of listed buildings at risk in Wales.
It is often extremely difficult to determine a precise date of construction for a church as many have been extensively altered over time. Church Heritage Cymru therefore shows a date range within which a church is believed to have been constructed. The dates are as follows: Early Medieval (pre 1066), Medieval (post 1066 to 1540), Post Medieval (1540 to 1837), Victorian/Pre WWI (1837 to 1914) and Modern (post 1914).
This is a very brief summary of the church's main features. More detailed nformation can be found in the other fields and pages (tabs) in this database.
Useful information is displayed here for people wishing to visit the church. This may include things like opening hours, catering & toilet facilities, parking, etc.
If the church has its own website the details will be displayed here.
Any further sources of information for the church will be listed here (eg. links to other historic databases).
This is the Ordnance Survey (OS) reference for the location of the church. Some locations will be approximate as this data is continuously being refined and updated.
This is the name of the Local Authoirity within which the church is located.
This describes how the church relates to its immediate and wider environment, sometimes called its setting. It describes how the church contributes to its landscape or townscape and how these things collectively contribute to the character of the area.
Bodelwyddan church is on the north side of the A55 some 50km north west of Chester and 29km east of Conwy.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 116 Cadw Listing Notice 1377
This is a description of the ground plan of the church.
If known, the dimensions (measurements) of the church ground plan will be displayed here.
If the footrprint (area) of the church is known, it will be displayed here.
A description of the history and archaeology of the church and its site.
Designed by John Gibson on behalf of the Bodelwyddan estate, its foundation stone was laid on 24th July 1856 and consecrated on 23rd August 1860. John Gibson was known to the family having worked on county houses in Warwickshire, he was a former pupil of John Hansom (who had worked on Bodelwyddan castle) and Sir Charles Barry, a colleague of A W Pugin. The whole church cost £60,000. In the graveyard many of the headstone come from former patients at the Kimmel Park military hospital.
Reference Buildings of Wales– Clwyd 2003 Cadw Listing Notice 1377
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
This is a large church in the Decorated style of nave with north and south aisles, a chancel and an axial west porch under the massive tower and spire which together reach 65m. Such is the height of the spire that to give it optical correctness there is 5cm correction off the perpendicular. On the north side of the church there is a small octagonal vestry, the church is otherwise symmetrical. The church was built with local limestone quarried in the hills south of Abergele, it is laid in snecked courses with a slightly picked finish, it has raised pointing, thin joints chisel drafted or finely carved. It has a slate roof trimmed to give a honeycomb pattern. Over the nave are 10 lucarnes on each side staggered so as not to ever be opposite one another but which provide excellent light into the church. The lucarnes over the chancel provide ventilation. The nave is of 5 bays terminating at the east end with a moulded coped gable and finial cross. At the two eastern angles of the nave are small spires standing of octagonal towers and with cricketing on the ribs above. Both aisles have span roofs concealing clerestory light for the nave. There are moulded copings to the east and west gables which blend with a parapet with corner gargoyles. There are offset buttresses. The tower is divided into four stages by string courses, the diagonal buttresses are slightly off set and are surmounted by gargoyles. There is a blind-pierced. Above the west window is a Star of David shaped window. The heavily moulded west door arch has Aberdeen granite nook columns, the spire is slender and octagonal divided into four stages by bands of diagonal tracery, the spire of the King’s Sutton church in Northampton was the model for this. On either side of the east window are the carved heads of the Bishop and Queen Victoria.
Reference Buildings of Wales – Clwyd 2003 Cadw Listing Notice 1377
Information about any noteable architects, artists, people, or events associated with the church.
Information about any important features and building fabric.
If known, a list of the church's major building material/s will be displayed here.
Any renewable energy systems the church is using will be listed here.
This section gives a general description of the interior of the church. Further details of any important internal fixtures and fittings will be listed below.
The interior gives the church its nave as ‘The marble church’ due to the variety of marble used. Most stone is Talacre but the dominant marbles are the red Griotte – a stone often cherry-red to brown in colour with spots or streaks of white formed by the Goniatites fossils up to 5mm in size. It is used for the main chancel piers which blend into the mature colour of the oak roof and the Belgian Red of the nave arcades. The church is entered through a plain west porch which leads to a double archway to the nave. At the centre are paired columns of Anglesey marble. The floors are paved with a Sicilian marble while the arcades are of 5 bays have Belgian red marble quatrefoil columns with bulky foliage caps of rose, leek, thistle and shamrock - the work of Henry Smith. The aisle roofs are of 10 bays with alternately braced and unbraced trusses with short green marble shafts at the principal positions carried on limestone corbels. The chancel roof has large bosses carved by Thomas Earp the roof principals have arch-braces with pierced foliage between, all over the red Griotte marble columns with their colour heightened by contrasts with bands and inserts of black Kilkenny marble. Round the chancel are wall canopies which at the east end constitute the reredos. Languedoc marble shafts and cusped nodding ogee of Caen stone and alabaster (carved by Harmer). Here too, the canopy has Povey marble insertions with painted inscriptions: The Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed. The communion rail, choir stalls and pulpit with a base of kneeling angels and Evangelists peering out under nodding ogees are the work of Thomas Earp. The lectern by T F Kendal of Warwick, 18882-3 has an eagle perched on a rock. The pipe organ in the west gallery is by John Cowin of Liverpool. The stained glass: ‘The Baptism of Christ, with the Baptisms of Cornelius and the Ethiopian Eunuch’, Ward and Hughes, 1881; ‘St Barnabas and St Paul’ T F Curtis for Ward & Hughes, 1910; ‘Musical Angels’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1859; ‘St Margaret’, c1860; ‘Consider the Lilies of the Field’, George Measures Parlby for Ward & Hughes, 1885; ‘The Crucifixion’ Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1859; ‘Agnus Dei’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1859; ‘The Nativity’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1860; ‘The Good Shepherd with Women Performing Acts of Mercy’ Ward & Hughes, 1880; ‘Love One Another’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1860, ‘The Resurrection with the Four Evangelists and Scenes from the Passion’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1859; ‘The Ascension’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1859; ‘Armorial Window’, Michael and Arthur O’Connor, 1859; ‘The Good Wife’, T F Curtis for Ward and Hughes, 1896; ‘St Cyndeyrn’ c1860. The church bells: three bells of 1860 cast by G Mears & Co, 5 bells of 1872 cast by Mears and Stainbank.
Reference
Buildings of Wales – Clwyd 2003 Cadw Listing Notice 1377 Stained Glass in Wales A National Bell Register - George Dawson's Website - Homestead
Information about the church's important internal fixtures and fittings.
Information about the church's important moveable items and artworks.
A description of the ecology of the churchyard.
Information about the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.
Records whether the church has been consecrated.
Records whether there have been burials in the churchyard.
Records whether the churchyard is still being used for burials.
Records whether there are any war graves in the churchyard.
Any important churchyard structures will be listed here.
Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship of the church to its surrounding area and helps place it within its wider landscape context.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the significance of the historic building fabric of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the historic significance of the interior of the church.
Significance defines what is special about a church. This could be architectural, archaeological, historical or liturgical. Here, it describes the relationship between the church and its community.