Church of St. Cadwaladr, Llangadwaladr

Location

At south side of Ffordd Sugn, 2 km north of Moelfre. The churchyard is entered by iron gates in a stone wall at north and west, and is hedged and fenced elsewhere. Many chest tombs. Considerable number of ancient yew trees.

History

The Celtic dedication and the traces of circular form of the churchyard point to pre-mediaeval origins. There is reference to it as 'bettws Kadwaladr' in 1291, a bedehouse dependant on Llanrhaeadr. Only traces of the mediaeval fabric remain. A porch was added on the south side. Minor restorations were carried out in 1840.

Following the establishment of Llangadwaladr as a parish in 1877, a major restoration was undertaken by William Spaull in 1883: walls and roof rebuilt, an apse and vestry added, the west gallery removed, the floor partly raised and the seating improved.

Exterior

A church consisting of a nave without any exterior distinction of the chancel, and a south porch, to which a C19 octagonal apse and a small north vestry have been added. The masonry of the nave, porch and vestry walls is in very variegated stone (mudstone, shale, quarz), uncoursed; probably the mediaeval stone largely relaid, apart perhaps from some stonework at the north side of the nave which may have been retained without rebuilding. There are small buttresses at the east corners. The C19 stonework of the apse is a darker thinner slate, uncoursed, but of more regular appearance. The west wall (rebuilt 1915) is rendered. The roof is of slate in medium sized courses, with a tile ridge, a stump of an east finial, and a west bellcote in ashlar sandstone. The slates of the apse are neatly butted at the hips.

The windows are all C19, in light coloured sandstone. Trefoil-headed single lights to the three facets of the chancel and two each side to the nave and chancel. Iron trefoil window at west of vestry. The porch has a pointed and chamfered outer arch. Boarded south door in an opening with a flat lintel.

There is a date-stone of 1883 beneath the east window.

Interior

The church is entered by a porch at south. The porch and nave have coloured tile paving with red, black, cream and yellow quarry tiles. The nave is of four bays divided by C19 arch-braced collar-beam trusses. Against the west wall is one surviving nearly entire mediaeval or post-mediaeval truss, with tie and collar beams and curved queen struts; it has lost its apex. Scissor bracing to rafters over the chancel. Pews in two blocks with pulpit at right. Similar pews in chancel.

The chancel is marked by two steps, and the sanctuary by a single step and a thin sanctuary arch, pointed, with two chamfers. These are paved in similar tiles plus encaustic features.

Reason for designation

A church of mediaeval origins, unassumingly restored in 1883 with minor retention of original features.