St Grwst's Church

St Grwst’s Church stands in the small town of Llanrwst, Conwy County Borough, on Church Street. It is an active parish church of the Church in Wales, part of the Aberconwy Mission Area. The building began in the late 15th century, possibly the 1470s, and was enlarged over the centuries. The Gwydir Chapel was added in 1633–34 by Richard Wynn of Gwydir. A west tower replaced an earlier bellcote in the early 19th century. In 1884 the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin restored the church and added a north aisle. Their work increased seating to 362 places. The church is built of rubble stone with limestone dressings in the Perpendicular style. It has a nave and chancel in one range, a north aisle, a south porch, and the Gwydir Chapel at the southeast corner. The tower rises in three stages with diagonal buttresses and a castellated parapet. Inside, an octagonal arcade supports the roof, and a fine rood screen remains with its loft intact. The screen is one of the best in Wales, with twelve bays, a central doorway, and elaborate carvings. Visitors find the rood screen’s vine-trail rail and carvings of the Instruments of the Passion and pigs eating acorns. The font has an unusual organic form, and painted Royal arms pre-date 1801. The Gwydir Chapel holds 17th-century fittings, monuments, and a 13th-century stone coffin said to be that of Llywelyn the Great. A fifteenth-century knight’s effigy, thought to be Hywel Coetmore, lies nearby. The church now hosts events alongside regular services after recent restoration.