St Helen's Church, Tarporley
Encyclopedia
St Helen's Church, Tarporley is in the village of Tarporley
, Cheshire
, England. The church has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
is united with those of St John & Holy Cross, Cotebrook, St Thomas, Eaton, and St Paul, Utkinton.
s being by J. Crowther of Manchester. A baptistry was added to the west end by Sir Percy Warrington in 1931–32. In 1935 the Arderne chapel was provided with a stone altar and renamed All Souls' chapel.
ashlar
with a slate
roof. The plan of the church consists of a baptistry at the west end, a nave
and chancel
, north and south aisle
s with a chapel at the east end of each, a tower at the southwest corner and a south porch. The tower has a small pyramidal spire. The chapels are Perpendicular in style while the rest of the church is Decorated.
with arcades
dating from the 15th century, the piers
on the north side being octagonal and those on the south side hexagonal. The chancel screen has Italian gates which were made in the 16th century and brought from Siena
by the Countess of Haddington in 1889. Also in the church are two sanctuary chairs, an old vestment
chest and a 15th-century octagonal font
which spent some years in a farmyard. A collection of Cromwellian
helmets and pieces of armour is kept in the church. The stained glass in the west window of the south aisle dated 1899 is by Kempe
.
The main monuments are to the Done and Crewe families. In the Utkinton chapel is a large medallion in mezzo-relief
to Sir John Done who died in 1617, and a similar monument to John Crewe who died in 1670. In the north chapel is the monument to Sir John Crewe who died in 1711 with his semi-recumbent effigy
in a flowing robe and weeping cherubs
at his head and feet. The finest memorial is the altar tomb in the chancel to Jane Done who died in 1662, Mary Crewe who died in 1690, and her granddaughter Mary Knightley who died as a child in 1674. The three figures are in white marble
on a black base, the adults recumbent and the child standing holding flowers. Also in the church is a memorial board believed to have been painted by a member of the Randle Holme
family of Chester
. The organ was built by Henry Willis & Sons
and restored in 1998 by Michael Fletcher. The parish register
s start in 1558 and the churchwarden
s' accounts are almost complete from 1662. The ring
consists of eight bells dated 1931 by John Taylor and Company.
Tarporley
Tarporley is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England....
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The church has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is united with those of St John & Holy Cross, Cotebrook, St Thomas, Eaton, and St Paul, Utkinton.
History
The first documentary evidence of a church on this site is in 1287. The earliest parts of the present church are the two chapels which date from the 15th century. The rest of the church has been altered in a series of restorations. In 1785 the west end was rebuilt, and two years later the north wall was rebuilt, the interior seating was remodelled, and a gallery was added at the west end. Further extensive restorations were undertaken in 1834. The Arderne (north) chapel was remodelled in 1861, the Utkinton (south) chapel in 1865, the tower in 1878 and the nave in 1879, these three restorationVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
s being by J. Crowther of Manchester. A baptistry was added to the west end by Sir Percy Warrington in 1931–32. In 1935 the Arderne chapel was provided with a stone altar and renamed All Souls' chapel.
Exterior
The church is built in red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
with a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. The plan of the church consists of a baptistry at the west end, a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s with a chapel at the east end of each, a tower at the southwest corner and a south porch. The tower has a small pyramidal spire. The chapels are Perpendicular in style while the rest of the church is Decorated.
Interior
The nave has four baysBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
dating from the 15th century, the piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
on the north side being octagonal and those on the south side hexagonal. The chancel screen has Italian gates which were made in the 16th century and brought from Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
by the Countess of Haddington in 1889. Also in the church are two sanctuary chairs, an old vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
chest and a 15th-century octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
which spent some years in a farmyard. A collection of Cromwellian
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
helmets and pieces of armour is kept in the church. The stained glass in the west window of the south aisle dated 1899 is by Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
.
The main monuments are to the Done and Crewe families. In the Utkinton chapel is a large medallion in mezzo-relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
to Sir John Done who died in 1617, and a similar monument to John Crewe who died in 1670. In the north chapel is the monument to Sir John Crewe who died in 1711 with his semi-recumbent effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
in a flowing robe and weeping cherubs
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...
at his head and feet. The finest memorial is the altar tomb in the chancel to Jane Done who died in 1662, Mary Crewe who died in 1690, and her granddaughter Mary Knightley who died as a child in 1674. The three figures are in white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
on a black base, the adults recumbent and the child standing holding flowers. Also in the church is a memorial board believed to have been painted by a member of the Randle Holme
Randle Holme
Randle Holme was a name shared by members of four successive generations of a family who lived in Chester, Cheshire, England from the late years of the 16th century to the early years of the 18th century. They were all herald painters and genealogists and were members of the Stationers' Company of...
family of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The organ was built by Henry Willis & Sons
Henry Willis & Sons
thumb|250px|St Bees Priory organ, the last major instrument to be personally supervised by "Father" Henry Willis, 1899Henry Willis & Sons is a British firm of pipe organ builders founded in 1845 in Liverpool. Although most of their installations have been in the UK, examples can be found in other...
and restored in 1998 by Michael Fletcher. The parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
s start in 1558 and the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s' accounts are almost complete from 1662. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of eight bells dated 1931 by John Taylor and Company.