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.
Maentwrog lies 12 km east of Porthmadog, along the A487, and 30 km north of Dolgellau along the A470 and then the A487, the A486 leads to Blaenau Ffestiniog some10km to the northwest while the A496 goes to Harlech 14km to the southwest and then on to Barmouth 32 km to the south. The church lies to the south of the River Dwyryd and is approached along a tree lined path via the lychgate between Neuadd Llewelyn and Pen-y-Bryn.
References
Route Planner Directions, traffic and maps AA
Cadw Listings Notice
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.
In the churchyard near the porch is the stone ‘Maen Twrog’ ( a sandstone pillar 1.2 m high) which was thrown by St Twrog form the top of the Moelwyn (a hill to the north rising to 720m) to crush a pagan altar. A medieval church stood on this site which was rebuilt in 1814 in rather lain form and was in turn replaced in 1896 by the present church on the same foundations by Douglas and Fordham of Chester for the Oakeleys’ of the Tan-y-Bwlch estate. Mary Oakeley, the wife of W E Oakeley is said to have done all the carving in the church.
Buildings of Wales – Gwynedd 2009
GAT Historic Churches in the Diocese of Bangor
A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.
The church is a nave with a narrower chancel, a north vestry, a south (half timbered) porch and a square tower with a spire. It was constructed in Decorative style with course rubble with ribbon pointing, the roof, tower and spire are all in slate. In their construction Douglas and Fordham replaced a castellated bellcote with the west tower. The design, although foreign to the region are fully in keeping with the estate village.
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 nave has a 3-bay roof and the chancel a 2-bay roof of exposed arch braced trusses with moulded braces and posts above the collars. The side aisles are separated from the nave by timber piers with arch braced struts. The side aisles have painted plaster panels divided by timber, each of which has decorative motifs, those along the nave show floriate motifs with cusped ogee headed surrounds while those in the chancel have depictions of the 10 commandments. A single step rises from the nave into the chancel
It would seem from information on her memorial that Mary Oakeley did all the carving in the church, certainly it is very fine. The organ loft and vestry have Tudor arch headed doorways, the angles have ornate carved pillars and the side walls have shaped balusters with ornate floriate pierced carving. The magnificent reredos has carved scenes from the ‘Incarnation’, ‘The Worship of the Shepherds’ and ‘The adoration of the Magi’; and the words ‘Thy Will Be Done’ in a fine mosaic. The reading desk has an ornately carved and pierced pelmet. The pulpit has carved panels one of which is a depiction of St Twrog.
The stained glass: ‘King David with St Twrog and William Williams Pantycelyn’, 1900; ‘The good Shepherd’ 1896, Edward Frampton; ‘The Good Shepherd and Christ with children’ c1928; ‘ Christ with Children brought by their Mothers’ 1941, Christopher Charles Powell; ‘St David and St Deiniol’ 1941 Christopher Charles Powell; ‘The Son of Consolation’ c1915; ‘Come unto me all that are Heavy Laden’ 1896; ‘The Annunciation’ Edward Frampton, ‘St Hilda and St Margaret’ 1955, Joan Howson; ‘Dorcas and Phebe’, 1964, Celtic Studios; ‘The Flight into Egypt ’late C19/earlyC20, Edward Frampton.
The bell was cast in 1896 by Harrington Latham
A National Bell Register - George Dawson's Website - Homestead
Stained Glass in Wales
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.