St. Mary's Church

Cadw's description

Location

In an elevated position on a rocky outcrop above the town, set back from the corner of Telford Road and Mona Road, N of the Menai Suspension Bridge.

History

Built in 1858 to accommodate the congregation of Menai Bridge which had grown too large for the church of St. Tysilio on Church Island. Traditionalists wanted to keep the church on the island, but in 1850 the rector, Reverend T Jones Williams, insisted the church be built on the mainland, on a site granted by the Marquess of Anglesey. The final cost of construction was £1450; H Kennedy, architect of Bangor and R Parry, builder. The original church was simple and austere with no adornments, stained glass or organ. The organ was presented to the church by H Davies of Carreg yr Halen and stained glass windows added later.

Exterior

Decorated Gothic style church, built of random rubble with sandstone dressings, continuous sill band and plinth, and offset angled buttresses. Slate roof with stone copings. Nave of 3 bays, shorter narrower chancel to E with single pitched roof N transept, square bell tower with crocket finials to W and steeply pitched roofed porch to SW of the nave. Reticulated traceried windows with sandstone labels and relieving arches over, floriated label stops to nave windows and human faces to chancel. Nave has 3-light windows flanking the porch, single light to right and paired light to far right; N wall with 3-light window to W end, central bay with paired 2-light windows and 4-light windows to E end. Chancel has 3-light S window and 5-light window in E gable. Porch has pointed arch entrance of 4 chamfered orders. W tower of 3 stages, W face lower stage with chamfered arched doorway, 3-light window to middle stage with bell stage above 2 strings and clock face. Bell stage, each face: pointed arched vents with cusped tracery to upper part and hood mould, set within rectangular recess with corbelled head. Bracketed string over. N transept with single square headed window and camber headed door in E wall.

Interior

Plastered painted walls. Nave of 6 roof bays, chancel of 3 roof bays, both with exposed collared trusses with cusped braces, carried down to wall posts and corbels with shield design on facing panels. Chancel raised by 3 steps with arch of 4 chamfered orders. Sanctuary is raised by further 2 steps with granite reredos of 3 bays across E wall: Central bay is advanced with cusped panels to lower part and upper part a single panel with carving of the last supper, flanking bays of cusped panels. Reredos erected in 1885, to Arabella Holt, from her sister Elizabeth Archerley Symes.

West tower with arch of 2 orders, now blocked with pointed entrance doorway and circular modern stained glass window above. Bell stage is reached by circular staircase in SW corner lit by small open lights. N transept reached by pointed arch doorway contains organ blower and vestry.

Glass: Nave; N wall, E window, scenes of the nativity, 1882, to Col. Henry Capel Sandys; central window, 1890, to Edwin Capel Sandys; S wall, E window, 1876, to Lady Sarah Hay Williams; E central window, 1878, to William Mason Crowthers, agent to Rhianfa Estate; central window, 1893, to Richard Norman, Capt. Royal Fuseliers; Chancel, E window, ascension, 1869, to Pamela Holt

Fittings: Font; octagonal granite carved with floriate designs in quartrefoil recessess in each panel and set on circular granite column with 4 pink marble outer columns topped by stiff leafed foliage, 1900, presented by Alice Morgan of Plascoedmor to her husband, Francis Frederick Richard Mansell Morgan JPDL. Pulpit; octagonal, pine, 4 facing panels with cusped carving to upper part. Pews and choir stalls of pitch pine. Brass sanctuary rail on twisted stanchions and ornate foliate brackets, 1911, to A R Moulsdale.

Monuments: Nave, N wall, copper cross on wood, war memorial.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-detailed Gothic revival Church (one of a series on Anglesey by Henry Kennedy), in a consciously vernacular idiom. The church is of historical significence for its very clear association with the urban development of Menai Bridge in the mid C19.