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.
Llangollen is on Telford’s Holyhead road some 320km north west of London, and via the A539, some 18km south west of Wrexham, the church is in the middle of the town, down stream of the bridge behind the Hand Hotel and Regent Street.
Reference AA Route Planner OS Map 117 Cadw Listing Notice 1164
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.
A Gothic church, with the founding of the Valle Crucis Abbey (upstream) in 1200 the church was appropriated to the new monastery. A dispute in 1274 signalled the importance of the church as Wrexham, Ruabon, Chirk, Llansantffaid and Llandegla were all dependant chapels. The church was mentioned in the Norwich taxation as ‘Ecclesia Llancallen’ of 1254 and in the 1291 Taxation it was referred to as ‘Llangollen, and it was valued at £36. 10s. A serious fire occurred in C16? In c1745 the old church tower was taken down and replaced by a stone tower at a cost of £160 and a gallery was added about this time able to seat 100 people. Between 1864 and 7 the church was remodelled by S Pountney Smith, a Shrewsbury architect, he retained the C18 tower and enlarged the church with the addition of a south aisle and an aisled chancel all at a cost of £3097. The pews and west gallery wee removed, the tower was opened up and a west doorway created. In 1896 a sacristy was added at the north-west corner of the north aisle which is now the choir vestry.
Reference Buildings of Wales– Clwyd 2003 Cadw Listing Notice 1164
CPAT Denbighshire Historic Churches Survey
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The church has a central west tower, chancel and northwest vestry and a triple nave. The churchyard wall is made from a mudstone with pieces of volcanic ash flow tuff incorporated. The body of the church has medieval rubble stone irregular and of variable size there are blocks of slate, shale and fine-grained sedimentary rock, the tower is coursed rubble of blocks and slabs of grey and brown shaly slate with some coursing. The Victorian work – the tower - is snecked rubble blocks and slabs of pale sandstone with ashlar for the quoins and buttress faces. The window dressings are sandstone but carboniferous limestone has been used for the capitals all under a slate roof. The tower has four stages with a parapet which has urn finials and a round arched louvred bell stage openings. The fourth stage also has projecting blocks at angles which look like gargoyles but show no function as water spouts.
Reference Buildings of Wales – Clwyd 2003 Cadw Listing Notice 1164 CPAT Denbighshire Historic Churches Survey
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 roof is a fine example of a medieval roof over the nave and north aisle. It is a splendid hammer beam roof of 6-bays with extensive timber ornament. It is said to have come from Valle Crucis Abbey and although there is no documentary evidence the timbers appear to be ‘re-used’. They do not correspond with the bays of the arcade. They have triple purlins and broad reed rafters with righteously carved bosses; the midway principals between each heavily pegged truss are moulded to suggest colonettes with figurehead capitals. The western 4-bays have cusping below the ridge and punch mouchettes spandrels to hammer beams, the ends of which have long springer brackets. The intermediate principals are carved with masks, beasts, and figures both secular and sacred subjects. The Perpendicular arcade is of 4-bay to the north and 3-bays to the south, it is supported by polygonal piers and 2-oder arches. Where the medieval chancel was is a panelled linen fold band all along the wall head of the eastern 2-bays. These are elaborately ceiled at collar level with vertical and horizontal quatrefoil banding and diamond shaped patterns. To the tower arch is a glazed screen. The northern aisle has a less elaborate 6-bay hammer beam roof. There is, however, strapwork ornamental wall head panelling with foliage and fish trails to the panels on the arcade wall. The Victorian south aisle has a hammer bream roof and is screened from the porch at its west end. Dating from 1902 is an iron chancel screen. The chancel is of 2-bays with arcade, the wagon roof is of 24 panels painted blue. There is an octagonal ball flower pulpit. The font was constructed with a number of different limestones, the base and top are highly carved Jurassic oolitic limestone from Gloucestershire, it sits on four columns of dark polishes Carboniferous Limestone with top collars of a stone similar to the Devonian Limestones from Torquay. The base is carboniferous crinoidal limestone from Derbyshire. The carved altar screen is cut from a Middle Jurassic limestone that is not oolitic but probably comes from Caen in Normandy. The stained glass: ‘Scenes from the Passion of Christ’, c1890; ‘Christ with the Four Evangelists and Prophets’, Done & Davies, c1867; ‘The Presentation of Christ in the Temple’, David Evans, 1853; ‘St Collen’, Linden Glass Studios, 1965; ‘Scenes from the Life of Christ’, William Holland, 1849; ‘The Resurrection and Ascension of Christ’, Alexander Gibbs & Co, c1878; ‘The Risen Christ Appearing to St Mary Magdalene’, Alexander Gibbs & Co, 1879; ‘Blessing Children Brought by their Mothers’, Alexander Gibbs & Co, 1879. There is a monument to Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler (The two Ladies of Llangollen) in the south aisle created by Violet Labouchere and commissioned by Dr Mary Garden, herself a feminist and author of a biographical novel about the Ladies, she and the artist served as models. At the northwest end of the church are two hatchments, one having Hanoverian Arms. The church has a ring of 8 bells cast by John Taylor & Co in 1887.
Reference
Buildings of Wales – Clwyd 2003 Cadw Listing Notice 1164 CPAT Denbighshire Historic Churches Survey Stained Glass in Wales A National Bell Register - George Dawson's Website - Homestead Welsh Stone Forum National Museum of Wales Number
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.