Lych-gate and churchyard wall at the Church of St Twrog

Cadw's description

Location

The lych-gate stands on the south-east side of St Twrog's raised and roughly circular-shaped churchyard, which is surrounded and retained by the churchyard wall.

History

The present church (1860) is by Henry Kennedy on the site of the medieval church. The lych-gate is certainly by him and those parts of the churchyard wall which adjoin it were rebuilt at the same period; most of the wall, however, appears to be earlier and probably of C18 date; certainly, the raised and circular shape of the churchyard suggests an ancient origin for the site as a whole.

Exterior

Lych-gate of rock-faced rubblestone with ashlar dressings; slate roof. A tall cross-gabled building with stepped coping to gables, the front one of which has an elaborate iron cross to apex; smaller stone crosses to end gables. Front and rear gables have high pointed hollow-chamfered arches under hoodmoulds with carved label-stops, buttressed below; decorated iron gates to front arch and mock gun-loop above. Further stepped buttressing to corners of main structure with large head-stops to top from which cast-iron downpipes run down the sides of the buttresses.

Churchyard wall of irregularly coursed rubblestone with stone-on-edge coping to earlier parts, principally to north-east and south-west; rebuilt in similar stonework to that of lych-gate where it adjoins this structure.

Interior

Lych-gate has foliated corbels inside as springing for timber and plaster rib vaulting, much decayed at time of Survey.

Reason for designation

Listed II* as a prominent and unusually flamboyant lych-gate and attached churchyard wall occupying a central position in the important mid-C19 planned Estate village of Llandwrog. While the churchyard is of ancient origin, the lych-gate forms an integral part of the C19 rebuilding of the church, and is an excellent example of unity of design creating a strong statement of High Victorian architectural and theological principles.