St Mark's Church, Brithdir
52.7487 - 3.8332Koordinaten: 52 ° 44 ' 55 "N, 3 ° 50 ' 0 " W
St Mark's Church is a redundant church building in the hamlet Brithdir in Gwynedd, Wales. The building was taken up by Cadw on May 26, 1995 in Grade I in the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, and is maintained by the Friends of Friendless Churches. The church building is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the style of Arts and Crafts in Wales.
History
The church building was built in 1895-1898 and consecrated on 26 April 1898. The design of the building dates from Henry Wilson, a " leading person of the Arts and Crafts Movement ". The building was commissioned by Louisa Tooth in memory of her second husband- Rev Charles Tooth in order, who was chaplain and founder of the Anglican St. Mark's Church in Florence. Since then the church were found to be redundant, it is maintained by the Friends of Friendless Churches.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built of brick and has a facade of local gray - green stone. The roof is covered with slate. The masonry on the outside has remained deliberately untreated because the architect wanted, that "the Church would look as if it had just sprung from the ground, rather than to have been set to this ." The floor plan consists of a nave with a porch on the north and south sides, and the chancel. Transepts extend to the north and south. There are two rows of ogee arch windows on the west side. Between the windows in the upper row, a relief is attached with a cross. Similar windows are located on the north and the south side of the church. On the roof, west of the transepts, sits a two-tier belfry. In the lower part in a round-arched opening a bell hangs. A stepped buttresses on the east side contains a rounded lancet windows, both sides each have a keel -arched windows.
Interior
The interior of the church is plastered; the walls of the nave are in a rich, warm red, the blue ceiling and the walls of the sanctuary are, almost yellow painted in cream. The nave has three bays on the ceiling is sloping and has a simple cornice. The doors to the north and south are designed in the style of Art Nouveau. They are made of oak and teak in zigzag pattern and are decorated with mother of pearl. The main font has a round bowl that is supported by an octagonal pillar. It was manufactured at the Central School of Art and Design in London and is provided with leaf patterns and Christ monograms. The pulpit and the altarpiece, designed by Wilson and are made of hammered and pressed copper. They are decorated in the Arts and Crafts style, the pulpit has grapes and texts from the Vulgate.
The chancel has a cross vault. The north transept contains the organ and in the south transept there is a balcony. The pews in the chancel were geschreinert from chestnut wood, designed by Wilson and carved by Arthur Grove with zoomorphic animal motifs. Below are a hare, a tortoise, squirrels. Rabbit, an owl, a mouse, a kingfisher and a dolphin. The railing around the altar contains between strong post of wood panels. The altar front was designed by Wilson; it is made of cast copper and contains character tables. These links form the Annunciation, with the Virgin Mary and a pigeon with a kneeling angel and on the far right Rev Tooth and his guardian angel. The altarpiece depicts a climbing plant that springs from a chalice and on the sides is the monogram " IHS " in Atlantic Hasenglöckchen over. The organ has a manual and was built in 1901 by Peter Conacher of Huddersfield.
Reviews
The church was classified by Cadw in Grade I, because they are " a most important and intact example of the work of Henry Wilson, one of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement. St Mary's, Brithdir ranks among his major works in Britain a ". There were a " for his time exceptionally important and advanced work." The church is considered " one of the few full-blooded Arts and Crafts churches in Wales " and as " one of the outstanding churches of the Arts and Crafts Movement. (...) The decoration and furnishing of the interior are probably the most complete and best Arts and Crafts work in Wales. "
Documents
- Grade I building in Gwynedd
- Church building in Wales
- Built in the 1890s
- St. Mark's Church