St Deiniol's Church, Llanddaniel Fab
Encyclopedia
St Deiniol's Church, Llanddaniel Fab, is a small 19th-century parish church
in the centre of Llanddaniel Fab
, a village in Anglesey
, north Wales. The first church in this location is said to have been established by St Deiniol Fab (to whom the church is dedicated) in 616. He was the son of St Deiniol, the first Bishop of Bangor
. The current building, which is in Early English
style, incorporates some material and fittings from an earlier church on the site, including the font and an 18th-century memorial in the porch. The vestry door has medieval jambs and the keystone of its arch, which is also medieval, is a carved human face. Some parts of the nave walls may also come from a previous building here.
The church is no longer used for worship, and the village is now served by a church in Llanfairpwll. As of 2011, the building (without the surrounding grounds) was for sale. It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", in particular because it is regarded as "a good example of a simple 19th-century rural church".
, a village in the south of Anglesey
, north Wales. It is reached from the street by passing through a lychgate
by the local war memorial. The village takes its name from the church; the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and -ddaniel is a modified form of the saint's name.
The date of first construction of a Christian place of worship in the area is uncertain, but it is said by 19th-century writers that a son of St Deiniol
(the first Bishop of Bangor
) established a church here in 616. The son, also a saint, was known as Deiniol Fab (Welsh for "Deiniol the son"), to distinguish him from his father. No part of a building from that time survives. A later edifice, dating from the 16th century or perhaps earlier, was replaced in the 19th century. Some parts of that structure may have been reused in the current church, as the 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire considered that sections of the walls of the nave may be from the older building.
In 1833, the antiquarian Angharad Llwyd
described the old church as "a very ancient and dilapidated structure", which had "some good specimens of the architecture of a very remote period". Writing in 1846, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
described it as one "so much altered by successive reparations, that little of its original architectural character has been preserved". Repairs were carried out to the new church, and a vestry added to the north side, in 1873. The work was overseen by Henry Kennedy, architect of the Diocese of Bangor.
St Deiniol's is no longer in use; in 2006, a guide to the churches of Anglesey noted that no services had been held for a number of years, and added that ivy was growing across the building. The church's former parish has been merged with that of the adjoining village of Llanfairpwll, served by St Mary's, Llanfairpwll. As of January 2011, the church (without the grounds) was on sale for £50,000; it was suggested by the estate agents handling the sale that it could be used as a studio or for storage, subject to necessary consents being obtained.
People associated with St Deiniol's include the clergymen Henry Rowlands
and Isaac Jones. Rowlands, who wrote a history of Anglesey (Mona Antiqua Restaurata) in 1723, served as priest here and in nearby parishes from 1696 onwards. Jones, a translator, was curate
of St Deiniol's from 1840 until his death in 1850.
church is in the Early English style
. It is built from rubble masonry
dressed with limestone
and has a slate roof. The vestry is partially built from material used in the old church. The door in the vestry's north wall has medieval door jambs, and the keystone of the pointed arch, which is also medieval, is a carved human face.
The nave of the church (where the congregation sat) has no aisle. The chancel (site of the altar) is at the east end of the nave. There is a porch, which contains an 18th-century memorial, on the south side of the nave towards the west end, and a vestry to the north. Each section is steeply gabled, with the west end terminating in a bellcote surmounted by a cross and containing a single bell. The windows in the nave have two lights (sections of window separated by mullion
s), save for one to the west of the porch, which has one light. The east end of the chancel has three adjoining lancet window
s, the tallest in the middle.
Internally, the walls have panelling at the bottom and painted plasterwork above. The roof has exposed timbers. There is a pointed chancel arch and three steps between the nave and chancel, with a further step to the sanctuary, which has a mosaic floor. The east windows and those on the north have stained glass. Fittings include the rectangular pulpit, the pews, and the altar table, which are all made of pine wood, and the octagonal font, made of granite with carvings on each side. The 1937 Royal Commission survey recorded that the church owned a plain silver cup, dated 1796–1797. A visual inspection of the church in 2006 determined that there were many cobwebs inside, but also that the pews and organ remained in place.
(the Welsh Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) states that it is "coherently designed in an early Gothic style which is apt for its scale".
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the centre of Llanddaniel Fab
Llanddaniel Fab
Llanddaniel Fab is a village in the ward of Llanidan, southern Anglesey, Wales.It is near the prehistoric monument of Bryn Celli Ddu which was constructed in the late neolithic period....
, a village in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales. The first church in this location is said to have been established by St Deiniol Fab (to whom the church is dedicated) in 616. He was the son of St Deiniol, the first Bishop of Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
. The current building, which is in Early English
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style, incorporates some material and fittings from an earlier church on the site, including the font and an 18th-century memorial in the porch. The vestry door has medieval jambs and the keystone of its arch, which is also medieval, is a carved human face. Some parts of the nave walls may also come from a previous building here.
The church is no longer used for worship, and the village is now served by a church in Llanfairpwll. As of 2011, the building (without the surrounding grounds) was for sale. It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", in particular because it is regarded as "a good example of a simple 19th-century rural church".
History and location
St Deiniol's Church is near the centre of Llanddaniel FabLlanddaniel Fab
Llanddaniel Fab is a village in the ward of Llanidan, southern Anglesey, Wales.It is near the prehistoric monument of Bryn Celli Ddu which was constructed in the late neolithic period....
, a village in the south of Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales. It is reached from the street by passing through a lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
by the local war memorial. The village takes its name from the church; the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and -ddaniel is a modified form of the saint's name.
The date of first construction of a Christian place of worship in the area is uncertain, but it is said by 19th-century writers that a son of St Deiniol
Deiniol
Saint Deiniol was the first Bishop of Bangor in the Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales. He is also venerated in Brittany as Saint Denoual. In English, the name is translated as Daniel but this is rarely used....
(the first Bishop of Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
) established a church here in 616. The son, also a saint, was known as Deiniol Fab (Welsh for "Deiniol the son"), to distinguish him from his father. No part of a building from that time survives. A later edifice, dating from the 16th century or perhaps earlier, was replaced in the 19th century. Some parts of that structure may have been reused in the current church, as the 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire considered that sections of the walls of the nave may be from the older building.
In 1833, the antiquarian Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd was a Welsh antiquary and a prizewinner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.She was born at Caerwys in Flintshire, the daughter of Rev. John Lloyd, himself a noted antiquary. Her essay entitled Catalogue of Welsh Manuscripts, etc. in North Wales won a prize at the Welshpool...
described the old church as "a very ancient and dilapidated structure", which had "some good specimens of the architecture of a very remote period". Writing in 1846, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
Harry Longueville Jones
-Life:Jones was the son of Edward Jones by Charlotte Elizabeth Stephens, was born in Piccadilly, London, in 1806. His father was second son of Captain Thomas Jones of Wrexham, who adopted the additional name of Longueville on succeeding to a portion of the Longueville estates in Shropshire. Jones...
described it as one "so much altered by successive reparations, that little of its original architectural character has been preserved". Repairs were carried out to the new church, and a vestry added to the north side, in 1873. The work was overseen by Henry Kennedy, architect of the Diocese of Bangor.
St Deiniol's is no longer in use; in 2006, a guide to the churches of Anglesey noted that no services had been held for a number of years, and added that ivy was growing across the building. The church's former parish has been merged with that of the adjoining village of Llanfairpwll, served by St Mary's, Llanfairpwll. As of January 2011, the church (without the grounds) was on sale for £50,000; it was suggested by the estate agents handling the sale that it could be used as a studio or for storage, subject to necessary consents being obtained.
People associated with St Deiniol's include the clergymen Henry Rowlands
Henry Rowlands
Henry Rowlands was the author of Mona Antiqua Restaurata: An Archaeological Discourse on the Antiquities, Natural and Historical, of the Isle of Anglesey, the Antient Seat of the British Druids The Bridestones were among the sites described by Rowlands....
and Isaac Jones. Rowlands, who wrote a history of Anglesey (Mona Antiqua Restaurata) in 1723, served as priest here and in nearby parishes from 1696 onwards. Jones, a translator, was curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of St Deiniol's from 1840 until his death in 1850.
Architecture and fittings
The Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church is in the Early English style
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
. It is built from rubble masonry
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
dressed with limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and has a slate roof. The vestry is partially built from material used in the old church. The door in the vestry's north wall has medieval door jambs, and the keystone of the pointed arch, which is also medieval, is a carved human face.
The nave of the church (where the congregation sat) has no aisle. The chancel (site of the altar) is at the east end of the nave. There is a porch, which contains an 18th-century memorial, on the south side of the nave towards the west end, and a vestry to the north. Each section is steeply gabled, with the west end terminating in a bellcote surmounted by a cross and containing a single bell. The windows in the nave have two lights (sections of window separated by mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s), save for one to the west of the porch, which has one light. The east end of the chancel has three adjoining lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s, the tallest in the middle.
Internally, the walls have panelling at the bottom and painted plasterwork above. The roof has exposed timbers. There is a pointed chancel arch and three steps between the nave and chancel, with a further step to the sanctuary, which has a mosaic floor. The east windows and those on the north have stained glass. Fittings include the rectangular pulpit, the pews, and the altar table, which are all made of pine wood, and the octagonal font, made of granite with carvings on each side. The 1937 Royal Commission survey recorded that the church owned a plain silver cup, dated 1796–1797. A visual inspection of the church in 2006 determined that there were many cobwebs inside, but also that the pews and organ remained in place.
Assessment
St Deiniol's has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing, designating "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them". It was given this status on 30 January 1968 and has been listed because it is regarded as "a good example of a simple 19th-century rural church". CadwCadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
(the Welsh Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) states that it is "coherently designed in an early Gothic style which is apt for its scale".