Church of St Mary

Cadw's description

Location

Set back, within a rectangular churchyard, from the S side of the Market Square in the centre of the village of Llanerchymedd.

History

Predominantly Victorian church which retains the tower of its predecessor: the lower stage of the tower with its east doorway are thought to be C12: upper stages later medieval. The church, except for the tower, was rebuilt in 1850, the architect Henry Kennedy of Bangor. The church was closed on inspection and in need of structural repairs to tower and roof.

Exterior

Decorated style church comprising W tower with bellcote, nave, chancel and S porch. Built of rubble masonry with freestone dressings; slate roof with stone copings.
The oldest fabric of the church is retained in the W tower, the lower stage of which is C12. The lower stage of the tower now houses the vestry, and has narrow rectangular lights to N, S and W with narrow ventilation slots in the stage above. The upper, bell stage has pointed-arched, louvred openings to each face, each with cinquefoil tracery and hoodmoulds with bestial stops. There is an embattled parapet above a moulded string, the roof of the tower has a single gabled sanctus bellcote to the E.
The newer, mid C19, church has a raking plinth and each bay is articulated by stepped buttresses; the chancel with angled buttress to E. The windows are a mix of 2 and 3 lights, with cusped tracery and mostly pointed arches; there are rectangular-headed lights to the E end of the N and S walls of the chancel and the E window has 3 trefoil-headed lights in a pointed-arched frame with hoodmould.
The S porch has pointed-arched doorways with chamfered frames, the inner doorway has a boarded door with large ornate hinges; side walls have narrow rectangular lights.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of the survey. Said, by RCAHMW to contain a small octagonal gritstone font with a chamfered base, probably C14; and brass memorial tablet to Michael Llwyd, 1748/9. Doorway between tower and nave described as round-headed with square abaci.

Reason for designation

Listed as a good mid C19 church which retains fabric of an early church within the W tower which is one of the few early west towers on the island. The Church of St. Mary is of an unusually large scale for an Anglesey church, reflecting the importance of the market town of Llanerchymedd at the time of its construction. Forms a group with the adjacent lychgate.