History in Structure

Church of St Mary

A Grade II Listed Building in Nefyn, Gwynedd

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Coordinates

Latitude: 52.9365 / 52°56'11"N

Longitude: -4.5181 / 4°31'5"W

OS Eastings: 230869

OS Northings: 340646

OS Grid: SH308406

Mapcode National: GBR 56.M0XR

Mapcode Global: WH448.KGR5

Plus Code: 9C4QWFPJ+HQ

Entry Name: Church of St Mary

Listing Date: 19 October 1971

Last Amended: 18 June 1998

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 4371

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: Llyn Maritime Museum

ID on this website: 300004371

Location: Situated on the S side of Stryd-y-Mynach, some 180m NE of the junction of the A497 and the B4417 in the centre of Nefyn.

County: Gwynedd

Town: Pwllheli

Community: Nefyn

Community: Nefyn

Built-Up Area: Nefyn

Traditional County: Caernarfonshire

Tagged with: Church building Former church

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Morfa Nefyn

History

Former parish church, now maritime museum. Built c1825-7, on site of former church whose registers date from 1694. A church was established here in C5 by Nefyn ar Nefain, daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog of Garth Madryn. The name was recorded as Llanfair-yn-Nefyn in C12 when the church was held by Augustinian Canons of Haughmond Abbey. In C13 a priory was attached to the church. The rebuilding in 1825-7 cost £370, the churchwardens were Robert Williams and John Roberts, their names and the date are etched on the bell in the tower. Improvements costing £200 were made in 1856 and it is probable that the N porch was added at this time when the original doorway in the W wall of the tower was converted into a window. In 1904, a second church, St David's, was opened in Nefyn. However, St Mary's remained the parish church until 1912 and a Sunday School was held there until c1960. The church was subsequently converted for the Lleyn Maritime Museum which opened in 1979.

Exterior

Former parish church. Rubble stone with grouted slate single roof. W tower, nave and chancel in one and N porch. W tower is square, plain and sheer to a set-back under bell-stage, then simple stepped cornice under parapet which has angles ramped up to small corner finials. Sailing-ship vane. Bell-stage has single large louvred opening each face, slightly pointed with stone voussoirs. Main part of the tower has a blocked circular opening at top of W face, probably for a clock, narrow loop to top of N and S sides. Broad pointed original W door now blocked with inserted window. Body of church has 2 pointed windows each side, with plain timber Y-tracery and large similar E window of 3 lights. Stone voussoirs and sills. Added N porch is of rough stone but with some architectural detail in roughly squared stone. Pointed arch with stone voussoirs, 2-step buttresses clasping angle each side, coped shallow gable with simple step cornicing and apex pedestal with rough pyramidal finial. Cornicing continues around each side with embattled parapet above.

Interior

Emptied of fittings. Six-bay roof has arch-braced collar trusses and triple purlins.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a rare example in the region of a late Georgian parish church, with landmark tower.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

  • II St Mary's Well
    Situated prominently near the centre of Nefyn, some 35m N of the junction of the A497 and the B4417.
  • II Nefyn Watch Tower
    Situated on a mound near the centre of Nefyn, some 60m W of the junction of the A497 and the B4417 and approximately 25m N of the latter.
  • II Hendafarn
    Situated facing E to the rear of the beach at Porth Nefyn some 350m S of the point at Penrhyn Nefyn.
  • II Cae'r Pwll
    Situated on the eastern edge of Morfa Nefyn, facing Lon Groes and set back behind front garden with whitewashed rubble boundary wall. At right angles to the B4417 road between Morfa Nefyn and Nefyn.

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