Church House

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently-sited opposite the parish church at the cross-roads in the centre of the village; set behind low rubble walls.

History

Church hall, dated 1930 and built to serve the parish church opposite. Designed by S Colwyn Foulkes, architect of Colwyn Bay, with masterful restraint and great confidence. In his use of twin gables, roughcast exterior treatment and minimal detailing Church House is strongly reminiscent of the work of H L North of Llanfairfechan. As such it represents a departure from Colwyn Foulkes' more customary use of moulded and decorative brickwork, as seen in the contemporary Church House at Llansanffraid Glan Conwy and that at Old Colwyn, of 1935-7.

Exterior

Large church hall complex of roughcast brick construction on a rubble plinth; slate roofs with tiled ridges and feathered eaves. The plan essentially consists of a main twin-gabled, double-pile section with irregular L-shaped flanking pavilions. The facade is near-symmetrical with a reflected pair of central gables, their outer pitches shallower and longer than their inner. These each have a pair of tall, recessed 12-pane windows, with shallow triangular heads and splayed slate cills. Dividing the gables centrally is a downpipe with cast iron hopper; this bears the raised lettering 'St. C' (for St. Cynfran's) and the date 1930. The L gable has a further, square-headed 8-pane window to L. Adjoining to the L of the left-hand gable, and stepped down from it, is a hipped-roofed extension, returned at a lower level to the front where it terminates in an apsidal projection. This has a hipped apsidal roof and four vertical, rectangular windows to the front, each an 8-pane casement. At the angle, a staged brick chimney with tripartite stacks (that to centre raised) and contemporary ceramic pots. Extruded in the angle between the main block and this projecting one, a gabled entrance porch; wide chamfered and stopped entrance arch with segmental head and 'in-and-out' type boarded double doors. A flanking buttress, flush with the front slopes to the R. Above the entrance, an inset mosaic cross. To the R of the main block, a similar low L-shaped arm, terminating in an advanced gable to the front, with long, feathered inner roof pitch. This forms a catslide roof over a porch in the inner return. Shallow triangular-headed opening and a similar unglazed light to the front; its face is battered. Three 8-pane windows as before to front gable. Similar window arrangement to main block at rear and further entrance to advanced catslide porch at L. Triple window group to N side of apsidal wing, with flanking paired windows, all 8-pane casements.

Interior

Plain, though unaltered interiors. Small-pane glazed double doors to vestibule and main hall, otherwise 5-panel (horizontal) doors. Usual Colwyn Ffoulkes spacial arrangement for such buildings, with a main hall (containing stage at one end) and a parish room on either side of a corridor opposite the entrance. The hall has a pine boarded dado and canted ends to an otherwise plain ceiling. Simple architrave to raised stage at S end. Stage access to both sides via short balustraded flights of steps leading off from small dressing rooms. Toilets and kitchen off corridor, beyond the apsidal parish room.

Reason for designation

Included as a fine and unaltered example of the work of this important regional architect.

Group value with the Parish Church of St. Cynfran.