Discover an Arts and Crafts delight
St Mark's Church, in Brithdir near Dolgellau, is considered to be one of the finest, and most complete, Arts and Crafts churches in Wales. Built in the 1890s, the church is now redundant and in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches.
A Grade I listed building, St Mark's was constructed to a design by the renowned architect Henry Wilson, a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. Commissioned by Louisa Tooth in memory of her husband Rev Charles Tooth (who had been chaplain and founder of St Mark’s Anglican Church in Florence, Italy), the external stonework was left deliberately ‘untooled’ because the architect ‘wished the church to appear as if it had sprung out of the soil, instead of being planted down on it’.
The charm of this little church, however, is to be found inside. The walls and roof are rendered and painted - the nave walls a ‘rich warm red’, the roof blue and ‘warm cream, almost a yellow’ in the chancel. The stalls in the chancel, made from Spanish chestnut, were designed by Wilson himself and carved by Arthur Grove. They feature charming zoomorphic images, including a hare, a tortoise, squirrels, rabbits, an owl, a mouse, a kingfisher and a dolphin. Other notable features include a richly decorated lead font, based on a design by W.R. Lethaby, and an ornate copper altar.
An Audio Trail and Itinerary have been created for this site. To download them, please see here
Free Entry
B4416 linking A470 and A494 at Brithdir
Barmouth - 13 miles
Nearest bus stop at Tabor, Torrent Walk - 1 mile
Near NCN Routes Dolgellau
Walk into churchyard from layby – church surrounded by trees
Three steps into church – possible for wheelchair users with help. Gravel path from road to church entrance.
Full Grid Reference Number: SH 763183 OS Landranger map sheet: 124