St Cybi's Church, Holyhead, Isle of Anglesey

Entry Name: St Cybi's Church

Listing Date: 26 September 1951

Last Amended: 25 July 1994

Grade: I

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 5413

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: Church of St Cybi

ID on this website: 300005413

Location: In chuchyard overlooking inner harbour, entered by archway from Market Square.

County: Isle of Anglesey

Community: Holyhead (Caergybi)

Community: Holyhead

Built-Up Area: Holyhead

Traditional County: Anglesey

Tagged with: Church building Medieval architecture

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History

Church traditionally founded by St Cybi within the walls of a fort of the late Roman period. Present building dates mainly from late C15/early C16 rebuilding. Late C15 chancel incorporating C13 masonry; transepts (circa 1480), N aisle (circa 1500), S aisle and porch with stair turret (circa 1520). C17 tower. Early C19 vestry to N of tower. Restoration of 1877-1879 by Sir Gilbert Scott. South (Stanley) chapel of 1896-97.

Exterior

Brown stone; mainly late Perpendicular style with battlemented parapets. Two-stage W tower has pyramidal roof (C18 weather vane dated 1753), embattled parapet, louvred openings to upper stage, square-headed doorway to S. Elaborate south porch has battlemented parapets, stepped buttresses with finials to E and W angles, moulded string courses and plinth, 4-centred doorway with traceried spandrels; E and W windows with 4-centred arches, 3 lights of 5-foil ogee heads, tracery over, transom with cusped lights below. Entrance doorway 4-centred with hoodmould and decorated frame (carved decoration to spandrels includes heraldic shield). Wall above doorway has elaborate relief carving including a trinity beneath tiered canopy, to each side, arms of Llywarch ap Bran (to R in wreath of twisted cord), rest of wall has panels of tracery designs enclosed by arch of trefoil cusping. Fan vaulting (of 1877-79) carried by angle shafts with moulded capitals and bases (S side), and angle niches (N side). S aisle has 2 windows each of 3 trefoil lights, perpendicular tracery heads. In angle between aisle and S transept, polygonal stair turret with (C19) steep pyramidal roof, band of quatrefoil decoration below, slit windows. South transept has battlemented parapet (finials to angles) with sculptural reliefs including angel, lions, mitred heads, fantastic beasts; band of sunk quatrefoil decoration below. Two-light window has trefoil lights; between window and gable, sundial (dated 1813). South chapel (1896-7) has 2 broad 2-light windows to S (W of these C16 moved from chancel), and broad 3-light window to E. Lancet at return to chancel. E end of chancel. E end of chancel has diagonal buttresses (C19) and window (2-centred arch) of three cusped lights with intersecting tracery in head, hoodmould over. N wall of chancel has two lancets, and small C16 window with segmental head. North transept has battlemented parapets; to E, 4-centred window with 3 trefoiled lights; to N, 4-centred window with 2 trefoiled lights. North aisle has two 3-cusped light windows with perpendicular tracery; N doorway with 4-centred arch. Small vestry in angle between aisle and tower.

Stanley chapel (to S of chancel) Italian marble monument with angles and effigy by Hamo Thorneycroft. Window by Morris & Co, designed by Sir E Burne-Jones Roofs restored 1813-14, and 1877-79, mostly re-using old moulded timbers.

Interior

Nave of 3 bays, 4-centred arches (S arcade at higher level). Round arch to tower. Four-centred arches to transepts and crossing. Rough semi-circular chancel arch. E wall of N transept has late C15 painting of Tudor rose. In S transept reset C12 stones with chevrons.

Reasons for Listing

Listed Grade I as an outstanding late medieval church in North Wales.

Group value with Capel y Bedd and Upper Churchyard walls.

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

I Walls of upper churchyard
Between Stanley Street and Victoria Road enclosing St Gybi’s Church, and Capel-y-Bedd, entered by gateway from Market Square.
II Capel y Bedd
In churchyard overlooking inner harbour, entered by archway from Market Square. To S of St Gybi’s Church near archway to churchyard.
II Stanley House
At SE corner of Churchyard, adjacent to entrance arches, with rear facing over Holyhead inner harbour.
II Lower Churchyard Walls and Gateway
Below St Cybi’s Church, parallel to road enclosing lower level of churchyard.
II The Captains Table
At SE corner of Churchyard, adjacent to entrance arches, with rear facing over Holyhead inner harbour.
II Market Hall
In town centre on sloping site. Set back and above the street behind single storey shops; side and rear elevations to Summer Hill and Trearddur Square.
II Caernarfon Castle P H
At top of Summer Hill facing down towards Stanley Street.
II Fitting, Boiler and Smithy Shops
Opposite Water Street. Irregular group of 3 parallel ranges to rear (NW) of office and stores building, the Smithy overlooks Victoria Road.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

St Cybi's Church

A Grade I Listed Building in Holyhead, Isle of Anglesey

Coordinates