Chapel of St Mary to N of Vaynol Old Hall is a Grade I listed building in the Gwynedd local planning authority area, Wales. First listed on 22 February 1952. A Post-medieval Chapel.

Chapel of St Mary to N of Vaynol Old Hall

WRENN ID
watchful-bonework-hazel
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Gwynedd
Constituency
Bangor Aberconwy MP: Claire Hughes (Lab)
Country
Wales
Date first listed
22 February 1952
Type
Chapel
Period
Post-medieval
Address
Chapel of St Mary to N of Vaynol Old Hall, Vaynol Park, Bangor, Pentir
OS grid reference
SH 538 695
Coordinates
53.20298, -4.19001
Source
Cadw listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Chapel of St Mary, located to the north of Vaynol Old Hall, is a rectangular aisless building dating from the 16th century. It features rubble masonry with quoins and a slate roof, topped with a crucifix on the eastern gable. A gabled porch on the southwest side, which is not bonded into the main structure, has a depressed arched entrance with a keystone dated 1596 (WWE) and stone benches on either side. The upper part of the porch walls is formed by turned timber balusters. The inner doorway is adorned with broached stops. The chapel contains three-light windows with arched lights and hollow-moulded jambs beneath square heads and labels, along with a similar four-light window on the eastern end.

The chapel underwent significant conversion into a family chapel in 1910, resulting in exceptional marbled enrichments. The walls are fully lined with marble, and the floor features a black and white chequered marble design, all executed in a richly Italianate style. The roof consists of 16th-century arch-braced trusses and chamfered purlins, with some 16th-century stained glass still present in the windows. The altar is flanked by kneeling angels at either end. At the western end, there are wall monuments to the Assheton-Smith family, set within ogee-headed recesses, along with a plaque stating "completed and restored by him [Sir Charles Assheton-Smith] and his loving wife Sybil Mary"; Sir Charles passed away on September 24, 1914, and Sybil Mary on October 27, 1943. Balustraded steps lead down to a single-chambered mausoleum, also richly marbled, with coffins positioned on either side of a central passage.

Local climate

Chapel of St Mary to N of Vaynol Old Hall sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,210 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 92% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 93% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 23 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 75% of listed buildings. Of these, 11 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Arched wall to forecourt of Vaynol Old Hall Grade II* 6 m
  2. Stone bench seat on W side of Terraced Garden at Vaynol Old Hall Grade II 9 m
  3. Gateway with inscription set in N boundary wall of Terrace Garden opposite Vaynol Old Hall Grade II* 10 m
  4. Terraced Garden to N of Vaynol Old Hall Grade II* 24 m
  5. Vaynol Old Hall Grade I 26 m
  6. Butler's House within walled garden, opposite Dairy Cottage. Grade II 26 m
  7. L-shaped courtyard range to rear of Vaynol Old Hall with enclosing yard wall at S end. Grade II 26 m
  8. Dairy Cottage with garden walls to rear. Grade II 27 m
  9. Classical bust on stele in niche of garden wall at Vaynol Old Hall. Grade II 35 m
  10. Walls to inner and outer gardens on E side of Vaynol Old Hall Grade II 37 m