History of St. Tudno’s

St. Tudno founded his cell on the Great Orme in the sixth century but no trace of the original building remains. The present church was built in the 12th century and part of the north wall remains from this time, while the rest of the structure dates from a 15th century extension. In 1839 the roof was damaged by a severe storm and it was decided not to repair the church but to build a new church nearer the centre of what was then the village of Llandudno.

In 1840 St. George’s Church was built in Church Walks and served the mainly Welsh-speaking population. St. Tudno’s Church was neglected until 1855 when an appeal was made for £100 to repair the roof and Mr. W.H. Reece of Birmingham and Plas Tudno, Llandudno, “gratefully resolved to restore the church at his sole cost as a thank offering for Divine Goodness”. The repair work began on St. Tudno’s day and the church was re-opened for public service on St. Luke’s day (18th October) 1855. Further work in 1906 included installation of additional windows.

Information from T.F. Wynne’s booklet St. Tudno and St. Tudno’s Church, available from the church.

St Tudno's from NE

This antique model shows St. Tudno’s Church between the 1855 and 1906 restorations. The model was made in Bavaria for Messrs Bunney’s Ltd of Llandudno. Until 1906 there was just one, small, window in the north wall and this is suggested to date from the 12th century building. Click on a photograph for a larger image.

Model of St. Tudno's Church

Model of St. Tudno’s Church, viewed from the SW

Model of St. Tudno's Church

Model of St. Tudno’s Church, viewed from the NE

Information on features of interest inside the church can be found here.

Comments are closed.