St Mary's Church

St Mary’s Church stands in the heart of Betws-y-Coed, a village in Conwy, Wales. Built between 1870 and 1873, it replaced a 14th-century church and was designed by the Lancaster firm Paley and Austin after they won a competition judged by Hubert Austin. The church’s benefactor was Charles Kurtz, a Liverpool businessman, and it cost £5,000 to construct. Seating for 150 people was provided, and the church was consecrated in July 1873. The tower was finished in 1907 and now holds eight bells from Porthmadog, installed in 2026 and first rung on Easter Sunday that year. The church’s architecture blends Transitional Norman and Early English styles. Its exterior is made of rubble stone with sandstone dressings and slated roofs, arranged in a cruciform plan with a tower at the crossing. The nave has four bays, north and south aisles, and a north porch, while the chancel lies to the east. The tower features a four-stage stair turret, lancet windows, and clock faces, with blind arcading on the south side. The parapet is stepped at the corners, and lancet windows line the aisles, clerestories, and chancel. Inside, pointed arches frame the arcades, and the font and pulpit are crafted in black and burgundy marble and sandstone. The chancel holds a recess and an aumbry, with tiled flooring and Arts and Crafts choir stalls. The reredos, added in 1929, is made of Italian alabaster and depicts the Passion of Christ. Most stained glass comes from Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster, with other windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones. The organ, built in 1870 by Gray and Davison, was enlarged twice before being rebuilt in 1969.