Church Heritage Cymru

Church Heritage Cymru 2508

  • Home
Core DetailsLocationBuildingInteriorChurchyardSignificanceEnvironmentAudit

St Mary, Dolgellau

Name:

The name or dedication of the church.

St Mary, Dolgellau
Record Type:

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.

Parish Church
Church code:

A unique identification number given to every church.

2508
Diocese:

The name of the diocese in which the church is located.

Bangor
Archdeaconry:

The name of the archdeaconry in which the church is located.

Meirionnydd
Parish:

This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.

Please enter a number

Statutory Designation Information

Listed Building?

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.

This is a Grade II Listed Building
Scheduled Monument?

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 is no Scheduled Monument within the curtilage or precinct

National Park

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. 

The church is in the following National Park: Snowdonia

Conservation Area

There are over 500 conservation areas in Wales. They are designated by local planning authorities for their special architectural and historic interest.

The church is in the following Conservation Area: Central Dolgellau

Please enter a number

Buildings At Risk Status

On Buildings At Risk Register?

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. 

This church is not on the Buildings at Risk Register
 **************

Approximate Date

Approximate Date:

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).

Post Medieval

Exterior Image

St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Caption:

The name/dedication of the church and its location.

St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Description:

A brief description of the image

View of St Mary's Church looking towards the south side
Year / Date:

The date the image was created.

2016
Copyright:

Details of any copyright are displayed here.

Jeff Buck, Geograph
Originator:

The name of the person who uploaded the image.

Tina Andrew

Summary Description

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.

The Grade II listed St Mary’s Church sits at the historic core of the “old town” of Dolgellau with its wonderful uniformity of building materials - locally quarried stone in shades of green to brown with grey/blue roof slates. It dates from 1716, although there is documentary evidence of an earlier medieval church on the same site in 1254. The new church was reputedly built around the old one so that services could continue, although there no physical evidence of this earlier structure, apart from a window mullion set into the churchyard wall and a fourteenth century effigy of a local Lord (Meurig ab Ynyr Fychan of Nannau) sited in the northeast window recess. Architecturally, the church is Georgian in style with tall arched windows in the north and south aisles, an apsidal chancel at the east end and tower at the west end. Unusually, the nave and aisles are divided by an arcade of wooden columns, The church is built from a locally quarried brown grey slatey stone cut into regular blocks which overlap at the corners to form quoins. The crenellated tower is of rubble stone construction – possibly medieval in origin and remodelled in the early 17C. The vestry (adjoining the tower) was added in the early 19C and a modern meeting room and kitchen added in 1992 in the west end of the nave. The church is surrounded by its churchyard, which contains a variety of headstones, box tombs and monuments. Opposite the south porch is a Grade II listed sundial. The churchyard gates & railing opposite the Old Courthouse are also Grade II listed. Main references: Pevsner Buildings of Wales - Gwynedd and the list descriptions at the bottom of this page.

Visiting and Facilities

Useful information is displayed here for people wishing to visit the church. This may include things like opening hours, catering & toilet facilities, parking, etc. 

The church is open for worship.
Work in progress - can you help?
 **************

Church Website

Church Website:

If the church has its own website the details will be displayed here.

Work in progress - can you help?

Sources and Further Information

Any further sources of information for the church will be listed here (eg. links to other historic databases).

View information on worship and access at this church on the Church In Wales web site
Tina Andrew (2016) St Mary's Church Dolgellau [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Looking towards the south elevation of St Mary's Church.
Cadw (1990) Historic Wales Report http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=5064 [Digital Archive/Document]
Cadw listed building description for St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Cadw (1990) Historic Wales Report http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=5065 [Digital Archive/Document]
Cadw listed building description for sundail in St Mary's Churchyard
Cadw (1990) Historic Wales Report http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=5063 [Digital Archive/Document]
Cadw listed building description for gates & railings in St Mary's Churchyard
Tina Andrew (2016) St Mary's Church Dolgellau [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Looking towards the east end of St Mary's Church from the nave.
Stained Glass in Wales (2016) St Mary's Church Dolgellau http://stainedglass.llgc.org.uk/site/154 [Digital Archive/Graphic material]
This is the entry from the Stained Glass in Wales database for St Mary's Church Dolgellau.

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.

Grid Reference: SH 727 178

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Church address

Address
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
St Mary Y Lawnt DOLGELLAU LL40 1DP

Administrative Area

Unitary Authority:

This is the name of the Local Authoirity within which the church is located.

Gwynedd - Gwynedd

Location and Setting

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.

Dolgellau is the historic county of town of Merioneth, now part of the larger county of Gwynedd. It is located between the Wnion River to the north and the Arran River to the east, and lies within the Snowdonia National Park. It is situated just off the A470, one of the major routes in Wales, linking Llandudno in the north with Cardiff in the south. It originated as a modest native Welsh settlement in the late 13C, sited in a favourable position by a river crossing and serving as an economic frontier between the sheep and cattle grazing of the uplands and the good arable lands of the lowlands. In the following century it became the seat of the local commote (or hundred court) and a market was established. The town continued to thrive and by the 16C the wool trade was firmly established along with its development as an administrative centre (Quarter & Great Sessions were held here in later years).

The post-medieval era saw more growth and by the 17C, Dolgellau was becoming more urban than rural in form. The earliest surviving buildings reflect this, consisting of a distinctive vernacular rural type (one and a half storeys, hipped or gabled dormer windows and gable end or lateral chimneys), distributed throughout the town from its central core to the slopes on the west of the Arran river. Larger town houses were built in the 17C & 18C, including St Mary’s Church in 1716, reflecting the importance of town at this time. By the 19C the densely packed central core of the town was starting to be redeveloped with new civic buildings such as goal, courthouse and town hall, workhouse and police station.

The growing importance of the textile industry in Dolgellau in the 19C can still be seen in the town today with some of the three and four storey buildings showing evidence of “loom lofts” on the upper floors. A few small purpose built factories, mills and warehouses also survive from this time - now converted to residential or commercial use. The arrival of the railway in 1867 increased the building of shops, hotels and villas in the town, catering for both tourists and residents alike. The late 19C in particular saw extensive rebuilding and new building, with new street patterns laid out in the centre of town and a major expansion to the east. Expansion in the 20C saw major house building taking place to the north of the old town and to east of the River Arran. 

St Mary’s Church itself is situated in the historic core of the “old town” with its wonderful uniformity of building materials - locally quarried stone in shades of green to brown with grey/blue roof slates. The street plan is a mixture of small narrow winding roads interspersed with open squares. The church sits in its own churchyard and is bordered by Marian Road to the west and Lombard Street to the south. Both Marian Road and Lombard Street are predominately residential, consisting of two and three storeys buildings, although the “church end” of the latter runs into Queens Square, which is a mixture of commercial and retail properties. The remaining perimeter of the churchyard on the east side adjoins the rear of the mixed use buildings on the west side of Lion Street, while to the north a small housing development is currently under construction.

Reference: Cadw publication: Dolgellau - Understanding Urban Character 

Church Plan

Work in progress - can you help?

Ground Plan Description and Dimensions

Ground Plan

This is a description of the ground plan of the church.

Work in progress - can you help?

Dimensions

If known, the dimensions (measurements) of the church ground plan will be displayed here.

Work in progress - can you help?

Footprint of Church buildings (m2):

If the footrprint (area) of the church is known, it will be displayed here.

Work in progress - can you help?

Description of Archaeology and History

A description of the history and archaeology of the church and its site.

St Mary's Church dates from 1716, although there is documentary evidence of an earlier medieval church on the same site in 1254. The new church was reputedly built around the old one so that services could continue, although there no physical evidence of this earlier structure, apart from a window mullion set into the churchyard wall and a fourteenth century effigy of a local Lord (Meurig ab Ynyr Fychan of Nannau) sited in the northeast window recess.
 

Exterior Description

A description of the exterior of the church and the main features of the churchyard.

Architecturally, the church is Georgian in style (and thus a rarity in Wales), with tall arched windows in the north and south aisles, an apsidal chancel at the east end and tower at the west end. The church is built from a locally quarried brown grey slatey stone cut into regular blocks (more commonly used in lintels on the other buildings in the town), which overlap at the corners to form quoins. The window quoins have a similar treatment. The crenellated tower is of rubble stone construction – possibly medieval in origin and remodelled in the early 17C. The vestry (adjoining the tower) was added in the early 19C.

The shape of the St Mary’s churchyard suggests it may once have been curvilinear in form, although it is now more irregular, possibly due to encroachment by neighbouring buildings over the years. It has entrances in Lombard Street and Marian Road, both with wrought iron gates and a mixture of railings and stone walls along its perimeter. The churchyard contains a variety of headstones, box tombs and monuments. A 1835 Grade II listed sundial, situated opposite the south porch, contributes to the group value with the church.

Note: a full list of exterior features for St Mary's Church can be seen by clicking on the listed buildings description in the Sources & Further Information section at the bottom of the Core Details page.

Architects, Artists and Associated People/Organisations

Information about any noteable architects, artists, people, or events associated with the church.

Work in progress - can you help?

Building Fabric and Features

Information about any important features and building fabric.

Work in progress - can you help?

Building Materials

If known, a list of the church's major building material/s will be displayed here.

Work in progress - can you help?

Interior Image

St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Caption:

The name/dedication of the church and its location.

St Mary's Church Dolgellau
Description:

A brief description of the image.

Looking towards the east end of St Mary's Church.
Year / Date:

The date the image was created.

2016
Copyright:

Copyright details.

Jeff Buck, Geograph
Originator:

The name of the person who inputted the image.

Tina Andrew

Interior Description

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.

Internally, St Mary’s has a wide “flattened” barrel vaulted timber ceiling and unusually, the nave and aisles are divided by an arcade of wooden columns, hauled over the hills from Dinas Mawddy by a team of oxen! The aisles and nave retain the majority of their dark wood late 19C pews and there are numerous 18C and 19C wall monuments. The beautiful stained glass windows are a particular feature of St Mary’s with three by the well known firm of Clayton & Bell, dating from the 1860s. A restoration in 1864 (commemorated by an inscription in Welsh on a slate tablet over the south door) saw the windows in the chancel altered and a new central one inserted in 1901 by the Gothic Revival Architect, G F Bodley. The last substantial remodelling at St Mary’s were completed in 1992 when a multi-purpose first floor meeting room and kitchen was inserted at the rear of the church with robing room underneath. The full-length windows of the meeting room mirror the apsidal chancel and overlook the nave. It is approached via a wide staircase (with chair lift) from the south porch with a disabled toilet opposite.

Note: a full list of interior features for St Mary's Church can be seen by clicking on the listed buildings description in the Sources & Further Information section at the bottom of the Core Details page.

Internal Fixtures and Fittings

Information about the church's important internal fixtures and fittings. 

Work in progress - can you help?

Portable Furnishings and Artworks

Information about the church's important moveable items and artworks.

Work in progress - can you help?

Ecology

A description of the ecology of the churchyard.

Work in progress - can you help?

Ecological Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

The everyday wildlife of burial grounds means much to those who visit and cherish them but many burial grounds are so rich in wildlife that they should be designated and specially protected. Few have the legal protection of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or, in the case of local authority owned cemeteries, Local Nature Reserve. This makes it even more important that they are cared for and protected by the people looking after them.

Many have a non-statutory designation as a recognition of their importance. These non-statutory designations have a variety of names in different regions including Local Wildlife Site, County Wildlife Site, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation or Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Local Wildlife Site is the most common name). Their selection is based on records of the most important, distinctive and threatened species and habitats within a national, regional and local context. This makes them some of our most valuable wildlife areas.

For example, many burial grounds which are designated as Local Wildlife Sites contain species-rich meadow, rich in wildflowers, native grasses and grassland fungi managed by only occasional mowing plus raking. When this is the case, many animals may be present too, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. This type of grassland was once widespread and has been almost entirely lost from the UK with approximately 3% remaining, so burial grounds with species-rich meadow managed in this way are extremely important for wildlife.

These designations should be considered when planning management or change.

If you think that this or any other burial ground should be designated please contact Caring for God’s Acre (info@cfga.org.uk) to discuss. Many eligible sites have not yet received a designation and can be surveyed and then submitted for consideration.

There are no SSSIs within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

There are no Local nature reserves within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

There are no Local Wildlife sites within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

Evidence of the Presence of Bats

Information about the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.

Work in progress - can you help?

Burial and War Grave Information

Records whether the church has been consecrated.

The church/building is consecrated.

Records whether there have been burials in the churchyard.

The churchyard has been used for burial.

Records whether the churchyard is still being used for burials.

It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?

Records whether there are any war graves in the churchyard.

The churchyard has war graves.

National Heritage Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

There are no Listed Buildings within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

There are no Scheduled Monuments within the curtilage of this Parish Church.

Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

Churchyards are home to fantastic trees, in particular ancient and veteran trees which can be the oldest indication of a sacred space and be features of extraordinary individuality. The UK holds a globally important population of ancient and veteran yew trees of which three-quarters are found in the churchyards of England and Wales.

There are more than 1,000 ancient and veteran yews aged at least 500 years in these churchyards.

To put this in context, the only other part of western Europe with a known significant yew population is Normandy in northern France, where more than 100 ancient or veteran churchyard yews have been recorded.

Burial grounds may contain veteran and ancient trees of other species such as sweet chestnut or small-leaved lime which, whilst maybe not so old as the yews, are still important for wildlife and may be home to many other species.

Specialist advice is needed when managing these wonderful trees. For more information or to seek advice please contact Caring for God’s Acre, The Ancient Yew Group and The Woodland Trust.

If you know of an ancient or veteran tree in a burial ground that is not listed here please contact Caring for God’s Acre.

There are currently no Ancient, Veteran or Notable trees connected to this Parish Church

Churchyard Structures

Any important churchyard structures will be listed here.

Work in progress - can you help?

Significance

Setting Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

High
Setting Significance Description:

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.

St Mary’s Church is situated in the historic core of the “old town” of Dolgellau with its wonderful uniformity of building materials - locally quarried stone in shades of green to brown with grey/blue roof slates. The street plan is a mixture of small narrow winding roads interspersed with open squares. The church sits with similarly sized two and three storey buildings adjacent to its churchyard perimeter, blending seemlessly with the other buildings in the immediate area.
Fabric Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

High
Fabric Significance Description:

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.

The church is built from a locally quarried brown grey slatey stone cut into regular blocks (more commonly used in lintels on the other buildings in the town), which overlap at the corners to form quoins. The window quoins have a similar treatment. The crenellated tower is of rubble stone construction – possibly medieval in origin and remodelled in the early 17C. The vestry (adjoining the tower) was added in the early 19C. St Mary's building fabric compliments and blends in with the overall uniformity of the predominantly stone built properties in the central historic core of Dolgellau.
Interior Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

Moderate
Interior Significance Description:

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.

The interior of St Mary's Church, apart from the recent west end addition of meeting room & kitchen, is largely unaltered since its original date of construction. Particular features of note are the apsidal chancel, good quality stained glass windows and the large selection of wall mounted memorial plaques. The wooden aisle columns and barrel vaulted ceiling add interest and compliment the wooden pews.
Community Significance Level:

Signifiance levels are set at high, medium and low.

Moderate
Community Significance Description:

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. 

St Mary's enjoys a close relationship with its local community and is ideally placed for activities and events having kitchen, meeting room and toilet facilities.

Church Renewables

Any renewable energy systems the church is using will be listed here.

Work in progress - can you help?

Species Summary

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

All of the species listed below have been recorded in close proximity to the Parish Church . A few species which are particularly threatened and affected by disturbance may not be listed here because their exact location cannot be shared.

NOTE: Be aware that this dataset is growing, and the species totals may change once the National Biodiversity Network has added further records. Species may be present but not recorded and still await discovery.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.

To learn more about all of the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.

"Seek Advice" Species

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

If any of the following species have been seen close to the Parish Church, it is important to seek advice from an expert. You will need to know if they are present now, and to follow expert recommendations when planning works. All of these species have specific legal protection as a recognition of their rarity. All of them are rare or becoming increasingly endangered, so it is important to ensure that management and other works do not adversely affect them. In addition, there may be things you can do to help these special species. N.B. Swift and House Martin do not have specific legal protection but are included, as roof repair works often impact breeding swifts and house martins which is against the law.

This is not a complete list of protected species, there are many more, but these are ones that are more likely to be found. All wild birds, their nests and eggs are also protected by law, as are all bats and veteran trees. In a few cases, species are considered particularly prone to disturbance or destruction by people, so the exact location of where they were recorded is not publicly available but can be requested. These ‘blurred’ records are included here, and the accuracy is to 1km. This means that the species has been recorded in close proximity to the Parish Church, or a maximum of 1km away from it. As these ‘blurred’ species are quite mobile, there is a strong likelihood that they can occur close to the Parish Church. To learn about these special species, use the link provided for each species in the table below

One important species which is not included here is the Peregrine Falcon. This is protected and advice should be sought if peregrines are nesting on a church or cathedral. Peregrine records are ‘blurred’ to 10km, hence the decision not to include records here. Remember too that species not seriously threatened nationally may still be at risk in your region and be sensitive to works. You should check with local experts about this. You may also need to seek advice about invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and aquatics colonising streams or pools, which can spread in churchyards.

N.B. If a species is not recorded this does not indicate absence. It is always good practice to survey.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre can help and support you in looking after the biodiversity present in this special place. If you know that any of these species occur close to the Parish Church and are not recorded here, please contact Caring for God’s Acre with details (info@cfga.org.uk).

To find out more about these and other species recorded against this Parish Church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas.

Refresh
WhoActionWhen
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Asset AddressMon 08 Apr 2019 14:11:09
Paul BakerModified asset data - Modified the Burial and War Grave informationMon 11 Feb 2019 10:26:02
Tina AndrewModified asset source linkWed 14 Jun 2017 12:25:59
Tina AndrewModified asset source linkWed 14 Jun 2017 12:23:45
Tina AndrewModified asset dataWed 14 Jun 2017 12:22:50
Tina AndrewModified asset source linkTue 06 Dec 2016 11:20:44
Tina AndrewModified asset source linkTue 06 Dec 2016 11:19:58
Tina AndrewModified asset source linkTue 06 Dec 2016 11:19:05
Amber CatModified asset source linkWed 26 Oct 2016 10:26:04
Amber CatModified asset data - Modified the Standard Information (Faculty)Thu 04 Aug 2016 16:16:31
First Previous Next Last 
Page 1 of 10 (94 items)
Page size:
Site Map  | Privacy | T & C | © 2014 - 2025 Church in Wales  | Website by exeGesIS SDM | Rev. 2.2.9173.19815
  • Home
  • Login
  • Register