The name of the church has quite a complicated history. Originally dedicated to St Hilary of Poitiers or possibly St Eleri of Gwytherin in the 6th century. The church came under the control of Maenan Abbey who rebuilt it in 1282 it was then rededicated to the Virgin Mary. On the dissolution of the monasteries in 1535 the dedication reverted to the original St Hilary. The current chancel dates from this period with many additions in the 19th Century which were chiefly funded by the Mostyn Family.

The original Churchyard surrounding the church dates back to these earlier times with burials of the key local families of the Prendergast's, Wynn's, Mostyn's and Pugh's, all of whom have vaults under the church.
In more recent times the churchyard was extended firstly to the East in 1878 and then to the north of the path to the rear of the site and finally to the north west on the site of what was the Queens Head public house. The Queens Head was demolished along with the Mostyn Arms to the South of the church by lady Augusta Mostyn who replaced them with the Links Hotel on the outskirts of Llandudno.

Every year starts with carpets of snowdrops followed by the daffodils and then the bluebells and not forgetting the Forget-Me-Nots!
Perhaps it is best summed up in the words by Betty Mills in her book "Churchyard Diary".
"The Churchyard is well endowed with mature trees, prolific wild-flower growth and loverly views of hilly, rolling country,.... is a charming place to be and a powerful magnet to the wild-flower artist and photographer "
Examples from the "Churchyard Diary" can be found on the churchyards facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/999003360576955. This is a must read for anyone interested in the wildflowers across the seasons.

Within our tranquil picturesque churchyard we have 26 wargraves as well as 40 family plots remembering sons/husbands buried abroad, lost at sea or with no known grave. On a lighter note we have the memorial to Alf Alan whose shows entertained visitors at the Happy Valley open air theatre. Reputedly two thousand lined his funeral route to the church. Along with him is buried "Professor Codman" whose family still entertain us on the promenade with their Punch and Judy shows. Our churchyard provides a peaceful setting to relax and contemplate our links with the past and nature as the world goes by.

Supported by a variety of trees there is a wide range of wild-life within and passing through the churchyard. The many birds include Gold and Green Finches and friendly Robins as well as the less common like Jays, Woodpeckers and Treecreepers, not to mention the occasional visits from local pheasants. You cannot fail to be greeted by a number of Squirrels darting about gathering food and signs of a passing fox creating a path through the grasses. Dragon flies, spiders and in the right season butterflies settle on the flowers along with the many bees including our own honey bees that you can see busily returning with pollen to their hives.