St John the Evangelist's Church, Sandiway
Encyclopedia
St John the Evangelist's Church, Sandiway is in the village of Sandiway
, Cheshire
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
of Sandiway and Cuddington
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
and built between 1902 and 1903. Douglas had been born in the village of Sandiway. He donated the land on which the church the church was built and paid for the chancel
and the lych gate. The tower was added at a later date as a memorial to Douglas. The foundation stone
was laid on 12 April 1902 by the Earl of Mansfield
, and the church was licensed for divine service on 15 October 1903. On 26 October the dedication and opening ceremony were performed by Rt. Revd. Francis Jayne
, Bishop of Chester
. The church was at this time a chapel of ease
to St Mary's Church, Weaverham
. It was licensed for marriages on 22 May 1906. On 29 March 1935 Sandiway was created as a parish in its own right.
with a Lakeland
slate
roof. Its plan consists of a four-bay
nave
, a taller three-bay chancel, a south porch, a vestry
and a west tower. The nave is in Perpendicular style with Decorated elements elsewhere. The tower is in three stages with diagonal buttress
es and a three-light west window. Above this are five strip pilaster
s that rise to the top of the tower. The parapet
is embattled
. On the south side of the tower is a door to a projecting stair turret
which ends at the second stage.
. The choir stalls are carved with poppyheads
and angels. The pulpit
has carved scenes. Also in the church is a ceramic
plaque made by the Della Robbia Pottery
of Birkenhead
. The stained glass includes windows dating from the early 20th century by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake
. The organ was built by Wadsworth in 1903 and cleaned by the same firm in 1917. In 1939 it was rebuilt by Rushworth and Dreaper
of Liverpool.
roof.
Sandiway
Sandiway is a village in the civil parish of Cuddington, Cheshire, England. It lies to the east of and is contiguous with the village of Cuddington....
, 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 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....
of Sandiway and Cuddington
Cuddington, Vale Royal
Cuddington is a civil parish and rural village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about six miles west of Northwich and fourteen miles east of Chester....
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 Middlewich. The church 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.
History
The church was designed by John DouglasJohn 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...
and built between 1902 and 1903. Douglas had been born in the village of Sandiway. He donated the land on which the church the church was built and paid for the 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...
and the lych gate. The tower was added at a later date as a memorial to Douglas. The foundation stone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid on 12 April 1902 by the Earl of Mansfield
Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield
Earl of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, and Earl of Mansfield, of Caen Wood in the County of Middlesex, are two titles in the Peerage of Great Britain that have been united under a single holder since 1843...
, and the church was licensed for divine service on 15 October 1903. On 26 October the dedication and opening ceremony were performed by Rt. Revd. Francis Jayne
Francis Jayne
Rev Francis John Jayne , was a British bishop and academic.Born in Pant-y-beiliau, Llanelli, he was educated at Rugby School and Wadham College, Oxford. He took his B.A. in 1868 and M.A. in 1870...
, Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
. The church was at this time a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to St Mary's Church, Weaverham
St Mary's Church, Weaverham
St Mary's Church, Weaverham is in the village of Weaverham, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of...
. It was licensed for marriages on 22 May 1906. On 29 March 1935 Sandiway was created as a parish in its own right.
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,...
with a Lakeland
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
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 four-bay
Bay (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:...
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 taller three-bay chancel, a south porch, a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and a west tower. The nave is in Perpendicular style with Decorated elements elsewhere. The tower is in three stages with diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and a three-light west window. Above this are five strip pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s that rise to the top of the tower. The parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
is embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
. On the south side of the tower is a door to a projecting stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
which ends at the second stage.
Interior
Most of the furnishings were designed by Douglas. In the chancel is a stone sediliaSedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
. The choir stalls are carved with poppyheads
Poppyhead (carving)
Poppyhead is a form of carving of the end of a bench or a choir stall. The carving consists of leaves and flowers, which are usually in the form of a fleur-de-lys....
and angels. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
has carved scenes. Also in the church is a ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
plaque made by the Della Robbia Pottery
Della Robbia Pottery
The Della Robbia Pottery was a ceramic factory founded in 1894 in Birkenhead, England.-Founders:The business was started by Harold Steward Rathbone and Conrad Gustave d'Huc Dressler...
of Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. The stained glass includes windows dating from the early 20th century by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake
Lavers, Barraud and Westlake
Lavers, Barraud and Westlake were an English firm that produced stained glass windows from 1855 until 1921. They were part of the Gothic Revival movement that affected English church architecture in the 19th century.-History:...
. The organ was built by Wadsworth in 1903 and cleaned by the same firm in 1917. In 1939 it was rebuilt by Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders based in Liverpool, England Upon its bankruptcy, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed...
of Liverpool.
External features
The lych gate was also designed by Douglas, and dates from about 1902. It is constructed n sandstone and has a York stoneYorkstone
Yorkstone is a term for a variety of sandstone, specifically from quarries in Yorkshire that have been worked since medieval times, but now applied generally. Yorkstone is a tight grained, Carboniferous sedimentary rock...
roof.