St Mary's Church

St Mary’s Church stands in the village of Pentraeth on Anglesey, a small island off north Wales. The building began as a medieval structure between the 12th and 14th centuries, with parts of its walls still showing the original stonework. A chapel was added to the south side in the 16th or 17th century, and the church was later altered in the 19th century by Henry Kennedy, architect for the Diocese of Bangor. It remains in use for worship today and is one of three churches in its combined parish. The church is recognised as a Grade II listed building because of its surviving medieval fabric within a largely 19th-century structure. It contains fine memorials, including tablets for local figures like John Jones, Dean of Bangor Cathedral, and Thomas Owen, a cleric and writer. A tradition of decorating the interior with paper garlands once marked either weddings or the deaths of unmarried women, according to different accounts. Inside, the nave and chancel show medieval origins, with a slate roof and visible wooden roof trusses. The east window holds stained glass of St Mary and St John, added in 1890, while the chapel contains memorials to the Vivian family. A 12th-century font fragment serves as a water basin in the porch, and the churchyard holds Celtic crosses and war graves. The building’s simple rubble masonry and later sandstone dressings reflect its layered history.