St John's Church, Burwardsley
Encyclopedia
St John's Church, Burwardsley is in the village of Burwardsley
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
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 combined with those of Holy Trinity, Bickerton
, St Wenefrede, Bickley
, and All Saints, Harthill
.
dated 1730 and the church was restored in 1795. In 1871 a Victorian restoration
was carried out by John Douglas
, which included a bell turret
. A further restoration with the addition of a chancel
, attributed to John Douglas, was carried out around 1878.
buff sandstone
with a Welsh slate
roof. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave
, a one-bay chancel
with a side chapel
, and a south porch. The bays of the nave are divided by buttresses and they have two or four-light mullion
ed windows with arch-headed lights. The east window has three round-headed lights, the central one being taller. The west window is simple with Y-tracery
. The bell turret is at the west end and has a pyramidal roof.
Burwardsley
Burwardsley is a village and civil parish the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish also includes the small villages of Burwardsley, Burwardsley Hill, Higher Burwardsley. The parish also includes Burwardsley Hall and is part of...
, 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. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
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, 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 combined with those of Holy Trinity, Bickerton
Holy Trinity Church, Bickerton
Holy Trinity Church, Bickerton stands to the north of the village of Bickerton, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage 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...
, St Wenefrede, Bickley
St Wenefrede's Church, Bickley
St Wenefrede's Church, Bickley is in the civil parish of Bickley, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, and is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the deanery of Malpas...
, and All Saints, Harthill
All Saints Church, Harthill
All Saints Church, Harthill is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Harthill, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. As of 2010 the church is being converted into a community facility for the village and locality.-History:A...
.
History
The church originated in the 17th century. It has a buttressButtress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
dated 1730 and the church was restored in 1795. In 1871 a Victorian restoration
Victorian 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...
was carried out by John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
, which included a bell turret
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. A further restoration with the addition of a 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...
, attributed to John Douglas, was carried out around 1878.
Exterior
It is built in ashlarAshlar
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...
buff sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
with a Welsh 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. Its plan consists of a three-bay 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...
, a one-bay 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...
with a side chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, and a south porch. The bays of the nave are divided by buttresses and they have two or four-light mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed windows with arch-headed lights. The east window has three round-headed lights, the central one being taller. The west window is simple with Y-tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. The bell turret is at the west end and has a pyramidal roof.