Church of St Tegfan, Cwm Cadnant, Isle of Anglesey

History

An earlier church may have stood on the site as recorded in the Norwich Taxation of 1254, the present church has been extensively restored, but has origins in C14 and nave and chancel are on original foundations. C16 porch has reset C14 doorway, other additions are early C19; the W tower, erected by Lord Bulkeley in 1811, transepts and N chapel. The church was restored and refitted 1901-3 from the designs of P S Gregory, and all windows bar those at the transept ends date from this time.

Exterior

Rural church, comprising nave and chancel with N and S transepts and N chapel at end of N transept, W tower of 3 stages and S gabled porch. There are lean-to additions, one to S between porch and S transept, the other to rear in NW angle, with tall stack against N wall of the nave. Built of local rubble masonry, modern openings with sandstone dressings; slate roof with tiled ridge and stone copings.
Entry to the church is through a reset C14 arched doorway with weathered hoodmould in the gabled S porch; cross finial at gable apex over. Nave and chancel have modern cinquefoil headed windows of 1 and 2 lights, the E window has 2 cinquefoil headed lights and Perpendicular tracery in a pointed arch frame with hollow chamfered jambs and hoodmould. The lateral wall of the transepts also have modern cinquefoil headed paired lights; earlier windows in N and S walls, N chapel has a pointed window of 2 trefoil headed lights with cusped tracery, S transept window similar with hoodmould and weathered base of gable finial above.
The early C19 W tower is of 3 stages with raking stepped angle buttresses at W end. The ground floor has a plinth course, S wall has a slate plaque to commemorate the erection of the tower in 1811, N wall has a simple 4-centred arched window of 2 lights. The clock stage has round openings to N and S with moulded surrounds, that to S with clock face, to N blank. The bell stage has paired pointed louvred openings and the castellated parapet is stepped up to centre and at angles which are surmounted by crocketted finials.
Between the S porch and transept there is a railed enclosure which contains a rough hewn stone octagonal font bowl, probably C14, on modern support. The flanking walls bear mid C19 gravestones and to rear is a slate plaque which reads that the font was found during the church restoration of 1901/2 by E R Bickersteth FRCS of Liverpool and Craig-y-Don. To the rear of the church is a small lean-to addition with doorway in the N wall and tall stone stack with capping to S.

Interior

The church has an exposed roof of arch braced pegged collared trusses. The chancel is raised by 2 widely spaced steps and the sanctuary by a further step. The rail is moulded on twisted stanchions with floriate brackets, the floor polished granite and marble and the walls are faced with ornate carved marble panelling with cusped tracery at the heads and set with floriate bosses within diamond trelliswork. The E window is an early C20 light bearing a depiction of the crucifixion. To R of the window is a C17 mural monument comprising half-effigy with ruff, puffedsleeves and doublet embroidered with Royal Arms of Stuart period within a plain oval frame; to Thomas Davies, King''''s Messenger to Charles I, 1649. Above it is a crowned skull, below, two badges of Prince of Wales'''' plumes. Below these is a rectangular tablet with inscription, with a winged cherub''''s head beneath. To L is a weathered C17 memorial tablet to Guliennus Owen; surmounted by a moulded pediment broken and inset with the figure of a mythical beast, scrolled ornate brackets and with cherub''''s head below. On the N wall of the chancel is recessed tablet to Countess Warren Bulkeley d1826 and below that a bronze tablet to Rev John Thomas d176-.
The N chapel is divided into 2 sections by a Tudor arch, the northernmost part houses an ornate memorial to Owen Williams of Craig-y-Don d1832; the tablet is set within a recessed arcade of vauting, the outer facing panels of the memorial bear blank shields set within cusped quatrefoils between floriate dividers and under a bossed rail; above the outer drop pediments have angel terminals between which the arched canopy is ornately carved with decorative motifs. To L is a draped monument tablet to : Margaret Williams of Craig-y-don d1821.
The N window of the N chapel is probably the oldest in the church, as most were inserted during the extensive restoration of 1901, it bears 2 shields of arms; the S wall of the S chapel also survived the later restoration, it has coloured panes of glass decorated with floriate motifs and banners bearing verses from the bible; to Hugh Roberts of Glan Menai d1857 and his wife Anne d1847.
The C20 font is to the W end of the church, an octagonal bowl with cusped tracery in the facing panels.
In the porch there is a water stoup on a shaped plinth to the R of the round headed inner doorway with hollow moulded jambs. There are stone benches lining the W and E walls and there are several C17 and C18 lining the walls to: David Owen, 1623, Ellen O[wen], 1624, M[ary] O[wen] daughter of D[avid] O[wen] and wife of Thomas Madryn, 1649, Owen Owens, 1693;
to FF[rances] O[wen] daughter of D[avid] O[wen], 1624, R. Ll. son of I. Ll., (Evan Lloyd), 1624, John Lloyd, 1666, his wife Methanwy (Jones), 1710, achievement at head of stone for Lloyd;
to Elizabeth (Owen) wife of Elice Lloyd of Panhowel, 1708, John Lloyd, 1739; tablet to William Owen of Cremlyn, 1712, achievement above; also to Richard Griffith d1733; to Lucretia, daughter of Robert Edwards of Brynteg d1744, his daughter Jane d1757, Jane his wife d1771, and Robert Edwards d1771; to Rowland Pritchard and wife Margaret (Morgan) d1759 and 1764; to John Lloyd of Pant Howel d1764, his wife Margaret d1798, daughter Esther d1800 and Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of John Lloyd of Tyn Llein d1792; to Grace Jones of Bryn Mel d1773.
There is also a bequest for maintenance of Welsh School by Dr John Jones, Dean of Bangor, 1727; a wooden tablet, bequest of bread by Thomas Davies, 1649 and a First World War Memorial on the W wall.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a Gothic Revival church, a consistent interpretation of the Decorated style. The church is particularly notable for its finely detailed marble panelling in the chancel and an unusual C17 mural monument.

External Links

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