Church of the Holy Cross

Cadw's description

Location

The parish church stands at the centre of the village, within an oval churchyard.

History

The first mention of a church at Llannor occurs in the Norwich Taxatio of 1253, although the site was probably occupied earlier. The building includes fabric of medieval date, the tower is an addition of the late C14 - early C15. Howel Harris visited here in 1741 on his evangelical visit to the Lleyn. The building was restored in 1855 by Henry Kennedy, architect to the Diocese of Bangor, at the cost of £800. A new S vestry was built in 1894 for Rev Sheppard Jones, at which time the church was re-pewed and an organ installed.

Exterior

Built of unshaped stone rubble with a slate roof, the tower being built of rounded boulders with rubble quoins. Nave and chancel in one cell with the tower at the W end, a south vestry and a gabled S porch. The S porch is probably late C19, with a simply-chamfered pointed-arched entrance within a coped gable surmounted by a cross. One small rectangular window, and a boarded door. A commemorative panel has been set above the arch, to the Rev John Owen, chancellor of Bangor and vicar 1723-1757, with a quotation from the Psalms. Naive angels at the ends. The nave has 2-light windows with trefoil heads and no hood mouldings. The chancel end has similar 2-light windows. Wide gabled-ended vestry has 3 lancets enclosed in a shallow arch. The E window is also 3 lancets with trefoiled heads. Square set buttresses. The tower has tall square W window and paired lights to the bell stage, and crow stepped gables to the E and W sides. One lancet on the S side and a W door. A single bell hangs in a W opening of the tower. A bench mark has been added to the SW corner at low level.

Interior

The roof is of 9 bays, formed by C19 scissor trusses set on wall posts to stone corbels. Exposed rafters. The walls are plastered above the panelled dado. Boarded floor. A large slightly-pointed arch formed with roll mouldings in sandstone opens to the vestry/organ chamber. Three steps lead up to the sanctuary, which has higher wall panelling incorporating the reredos framing painted texts on metal sheets. Low octagonal painted stone font, the C19 pulpit also octagonal raised on a pedestal, with a brass book shelf and candle holders. The altar rail is of close-spaced turned columns carrying a moulded rail. Organ dedicated in 1915.

Glass: E window, a Crucifixion, c1870 to the Ellis family.

Monuments: Nave N side, from W (a) white marble panel with a draped urn over, by Pistell, New Road, London, to Sarah Gaven of London and Bodegroes, Arms below; (b) white tablet on grey, a weeping angel set in front of an urn, by Whitehead, London, to William White of Jamaica and Bodegroes; (c) Carrara marble corniced tablet to Catherine Glynne Griffith of Bodegroes, and Catherine Longueville, d.1835; (d) corniced white marble tablet, with a shield on a diagonally set square over, to Richard Lloyd of Ty Newydd, d.1812, wife added 1857; (e) corniced marble tablet on painted slate, to Rev Griffith Griffith, son of William Griffith of Bodegroes, d.1803. On the S side, from W, (f) an elegant memorial in marble, alabaster and mosaic, to Brigadier Philip Neville Ellis RA, d.1947; (g) oval slate panel with gilded lys at the top, to Valentine Ellis, d.1953; (h) white marble tablet on gabled green marble, to Lieut. Robert Ellis of the Hon. East India Co, who died at Fort Kalunga, Dhoon; (i) similar to (f), to Herbert Mackay Ellis of Rhyllech, d.1912; (j) a Gothic stone aedicule with inset marble panel, to John Ellis, solicitor, d.1824, his wife added; (k) a gabled marble tablet to Elizabeth Sheppard Jones, organist, d.1830. In the vestry two monuments (l) a headstone floated into the plaster, to James Smith, National School master, d.1892; and (m) slate stone, to son of David Lesliy, mariner, d.1863 aged 12 weeks. In the porch (n) an important C6 early Christian stone of granite inscribed FIGVLINI FILI/LOCVLITI/HIC IACIT, formerly serving as a gatepost to the churchyard and said to some from Cae Maen Hir, Tir-gwyn, and (o) a small stone inscribed BODVEL with initials HT and GB either side of a shield with chevron and 3 lys, for Huw Gwyn and Thomas Bodfel, who built the S chapel.

Reason for designation

Included as a building with some medieval fabric including the characteristic W Wales tower, set at the centre of the village, and including some interesting monuments including an important inscribed early-Christian stone.