:St Philip's Church, Caerdeon

{{Infobox church

| name = St Philip's Church, Caerdeon | fullname =

| image = St. Philips, Caerdeon (geograph 2669310).jpg| imagesize = | imagealt =

| caption =

| pushpin map = Wales Gwynedd| pushpin map alt = | pushpin mapsize = 200 | map caption = Location in Gwynedd

| location = Caerdeon, Gwynedd| country = Wales

| coordinates = {{coord|52.744 |-3.9994|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}} | osgraw = SH 651 181

| denomination = Church in Wales | churchmanship = | membership = | attendance =

| website = [https://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/church/st-philip-caerdeon-gwynedd/ Friends of Friendless Churches]

| former name = | bull date = | founded date = | founder = | dedication = | dedicated date = | consecrated date = | cult = | relics = | events = | past bishop = | people = | status = | functional status = Redundant| heritage designation = Grade I | designated date = 9 November 1992 | architect = John Louis Petit| architectural type = Church | style = | groundbreaking = | completed date = | construction cost = | closed date = | demolished date = | capacity = | length = | width = | width nave = | height = | diameter = | other dimensions = | floor count = | floor area = | spire quantity = | spire height = | materials = Stone, slate roof }}

St Philip's Church, Caerdeon, near Barmouth, in Gwynedd, North Wales, is a redundant church and a Grade I listed building. The church was built in 1862 for the Rev. William Edward Jelf, a High church clergyman and Senior Censor at Christ Church, Oxford. It was designed by his brother-in-law, John Louis Petit. Petit was a noted architectural critic and artist, but St Philip's is one of only two buildings known to be by him. Jelf wanted a church on his newly acquired estate where his Oxford seminarians could worship in the English language. This led to a considerable controversy as there was an existing legal obligation to hold services in Welsh in all churches in Welsh-speaking areas. Jelf lost his case in the Court of Arches but was supported by the Bishop of Bangor who used his influence and position in the House of Lords to secure the passing of the English Services in Wales Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. 82), which allowed for English-language services in certain circumstances.

History

William Edward Jelf (1811–1875) was a Classical scholar, clergyman and senior censor at Christ Church, Oxford. His entry in the Dictionary of National Biography records that "faults of temper and manner rendered him unpopular", and much of his life was devoted to pursuing a large number of liturgical and ecclesiological controversies.{{Cite DNB|wstitle= Jelf, William Edward |last= Greenhill |first= William Alexander |author-link= William Alexander Greenhill |volume=29 |pages=291-292 |short=1}} In the 1850s, Jelf purchased the Caerdeon estate and commissioned a church to the designs of his brother-in-law, John Louis Petit.{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=5249 |desc= St Philip's, Caerdeon |mode=cs2 | access-date= 19 September 2023}} Petit, an artist and architectural critic, was himself a magnet for controversy, spending much of his life in opposition to the prevailing tenets of Gothic Revival architecture advanced by Augustus Pugin.{{efn|Petit's biographer, Philip Modiano, has called Petit "the leading opponent of the Gothic Revival".{{cite web|url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/9-september/features/features/god-in-the-midst-of-creation-the-art-of-j-l-petit|first=Philip|last=Modiano|title=God in the midst of creation — the art of J. L. Petit|publisher=Church Times|date=9 September 2022|access-date=20 September 2023}}}}{{cite web|url=http://revpetit.com/architecture-overview/|title=Petit: Architectural Progressive and Pioneer of Preservation|publisher=The Petit Society|access-date=20 September 2023}}

The construction and operation of St Philip's embroiled both men in further, bitter argument. Jelf was determined that services in his church would be conducted in English, as few if any of his intended congregation of Oxford seminarians could speak Welsh. His intention ran counter to the prevailing legal position, which required that services be conducted in Welsh in all areas where the Welsh language predominated.{{Cite web |url=https://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/church/st-philip-caerdeon-gwynedd/ |title=St Philip's, Caerdeon |access-date=19 September 2023 |publisher=Friends of Friendless Churches}} The Rector of Llanaber took Jelf to the Court of Arches, where Jelf lost his case, but his supporter, James Colquhoun Campbell, Bishop of Bangor, used his position in and influence over the House of Lords to secure the passing of the Church Services (Wales) Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. 82),{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1863-07-10/debates/6f69906d-136f-4e2c-b53d-1ff4a625d856/EnglishChurchServicesInWalesBill(Lords)%E2%80%94Bill190|title=English Church Services In Wales Bill (Lords) — Bill 190|publisher=Hansard|date=10 July 1863|access-date=20 September 2023}} which allowed the conduct of services in English in certain circumstances. This included situations where the church in question was a private chapel, an exemption which applied to St Philip's.{{Coflein|num=43899|desc=St Philip's Church (Caerdeon Chapel), Caerdeon|access-date=20 September 2023}}

St Philip's continued in use through the 20th century. In that time, the explorer Bill Tilman worshipped at the church and acted as a bell-ringer.

The Church in Wales declared St Philip's redundant in 2014 and it came into the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches in 2021. The Friends have been undertaking a major programme of fundraising and restoration since their acquisition.{{cite web|url=https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/unique-church-saved-to-be-used-by-the-community-108357|first=Alexandra|last=Bánfi|title=Unique church saved to be used by the community|publisher=Cambrian News|date=11 December 2019|access-date=20 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.frh-europe.org/saving-st-philips-our-work-to-rescue-a-rare-victorian-church-in-wales-by-a-rogue-architect/|first=Rachel|last= Morley|title=Saving St Philip's – Our Work to Rescue a Rare Victorian Church in Wales by a "Rogue" Architect|publisher=Future for Religious Heritage|date=11 December 2019|access-date=20 September 2023}}

Architecture and description

The architecture of St Philip's is unusual for its time and location. In addition to arguing for a sensitive approach to restoration and against the prevailing currents of the Gothic Revival, Petit, an experienced traveller, contended for the use of European sources. St Philip's, his only church and one of only two buildings known to have been designed by him,{{efn|Petit's only other known building, aside from St Philip's, is a house he designed for himself in Upper Longdon, outside Lichfield. Called "Bumblekyte", it was demolished in 1969.{{cite web|url=https://www.longdon-staffs.info/uploads/753.pdf|first=Gareth|last=Evans|title=An impression of Longdon as painted by the Reverend Petit and his sisters|publisher=Longdon Life|date=Spring 2019|access-date=23 September 2023}}}} has been described variously as "rustic Mediterranean, Alpine, of French Basque influence or like an Italian farm building".{{Cite web |url=https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/caerdeon-chapel/caerdeon-chapel.html |first=Rachel|last=Morley|title=St Philip's Chapel, Caerdeon|publisher=Buildingsconservation.com |access-date=19 September 2023}}

The church is built of local rubble stone and slate. Entry is through a loggia. The bellcot contains four bells, a mechanism allows for all the bells to be rung by one person using a single bell pull. Originally a Grade II* listed building,{{cite web|url=https://cadw.gov.wales/sites/default/files/2019-05/Understanding%20Listing%20in%20Wales.pdf|title=Understanding listing|publisher=Cadw|access-date=20 September 2023}} its status was subsequently upgraded to Grade I. The lychgate is listed at Grade II.{{Cadw|num=5250|desc=Lychgate at St Philips Church|grade=II|access-date=23 September 2023}}

Footnotes

References

Sources

{{Cite DNB|wstitle= Jelf, William Edward |last= Greenhill |first= William Alexander |author-link= William Alexander Greenhill |volume=29 |pages=291-292 |short=1}}

Category:Grade I listed churches in Gwynedd

Category:Former churches in Wales

Category:Churches preserved by the Friends of Friendless Churches