St Laurence's Church, Frodsham
Encyclopedia
St Laurence's Church, Frodsham is in Church Road, Frodsham
, Cheshire
, England. The church stands, not in the centre of the town, but in the elevated area of Overton overlooking the town. It 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 Frodsham.
records the presence of a church with a priest in this position. In 1093 the tithe
s were given by Hugh Lupus
to the abbot of St Werburgh's Abbey
, Chester. In the 1270s they passed to the monastery of Vale Royal
when it was founded by Edward I
. Following the dissolution of the monasteries
the tithes and advowson
passed to the dean
and chapter
of Christ Church, Oxford
. Frodsham is one of the ancient parishes of Cheshire
and included the villages of Kingsley
, Norley
, Manley
, Alvanley
and Helsby
. In the 19th century some of these villages formed separate parishes, Norley in 1836, Kingsley in 1851, Alvanley in 1861 and Helsby in 1875.
The structure of the present church dates from around 1180. It is built from local red sandstone
. In the 14th century the chancel
was lengthened and the tower was built. In the following century the chancel was further lengthened and increased in height. In the 16th century the north chapel, and probably the south chapel, were added. Considerable rebuilding of the church was carried out by Bodley
and Garner
between 1880 and 1883. This included removing the galleries and plaster ceilings which had been inserted around 1740.
of 3½ bays
, north and south aisle
s, north and south two-bay chapels, and a three-bay chancel with a sanctuary
. The north porch is dated 1715 and the south porch 1724. The tower is in three stages and has diagonal west and square east buttress
es, a three-light west window, a clock on the north and south faces, two-light belfry windows and a crenellated
parapet
. The aisles and chancels are also crenellated. In the south wall of the tower have been re-set some Saxon
and Norman
carved stones. The north chapel is known as the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (it was formerly the Helsby Chapel) and the south chapel is known as the Lady Chapel (formerly the Kingsley Chapel).
have been much restored, they still contain some Norman material. In the sanctuary is a piscina
adapted from a 14th-century corbel
and a sedilia
. In the chancel are monuments, mainly to members of the Ashley family who lived in Park Place
. The altar rails
with twisted baluster
s date from the 17th century. The three-tier brass
candelabra
was made in Birmingham
in 1805. The pulpit
is Victorian
and replaces an earlier three-decker pulpit. Hanging on the north wall of the nave is the sounding board
from the old pulpit. Beside the pulpit is a memorial to Rev William Charles Cotton
, vicar of Frodsham from 1857 to 1879. The font
dated 1880 is by Bodley and Garner. The organ
dates from 1883 and was restored in 1922. The organ case is by John Oldrid Scott
. The reredos
in the north chapel dates from around 1700, and includes Corinthian
columns and pilaster
s. The stained glass includes a window in the baptistry depicting the Good Shepherd
, dated 1917, by Shrigley and Hunt
, and three windows from the 1930s by A. K Nicholson
. An altar table dated 1678 and the parish chest of 1679 were both made by Robert Harper. Most of the church plate was donated around 1760 by the vicar at that time, Rev. Francis Gastrell. The organ was built by Binns in 1882–83 and rebuilt by the same company in 1923. A further rebuild was carried out in 1982 by Sixsmith. The ring
consists of eight bells, six of which were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester
in 1734. The other two bells date from 1911 and are by John Taylor and Company. The parish register
s begin in 1558, with a break between 1642 and 1661, and the churchwarden
s' accounts date from 1609.
dated 1790. It consists of a copper dial and gnomon
on a sandstone stem standing on a base of three round steps. It is listed Grade II. Also listed Grade II is a tomb to the memory of the Wright family dating from around 1806. It consists of a truncated
obelisk
on a panelled square plinth
in grey stone.
Frodsham
Frodsham is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population is 8,982. It is approximately south of Runcorn, 16 miles south of Liverpool, and approximately south-west of Manchester...
, 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 stands, not in the centre of the town, but in the elevated area of Overton overlooking the town. 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 I 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 Frodsham.
History
The Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
records the presence of a church with a priest in this position. In 1093 the tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s were given by Hugh Lupus
Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester
Hugh d'Avranches , also known as le Gros and Lupus was the first Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.-Early career:...
to the abbot of St Werburgh's Abbey
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, Chester. In the 1270s they passed to the monastery of Vale Royal
Vale Royal Abbey
Vale Royal Abbey is a medieval abbey, and later country house, located in Whitegate, between Northwich and Winsford in Cheshire, England.The abbey was founded in 1270 by Edward I for monks of the austere Cistercian order...
when it was founded by Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. Following the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the tithes and advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
passed to the dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
and chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
of Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Frodsham is one of the ancient parishes of Cheshire
Ancient parishes of Cheshire
The Ancient Parishes of Cheshire refers to the group of parishes that existed in Cheshire, roughly within the period of 1200–1800. Initially, the ancient parishes had only an ecclesiastical function, but reforms initiated by King Henry VIII, developed by Queen Elizabeth I and expanded by...
and included the villages of Kingsley
Kingsley, Cheshire
Kingsley is a civil parish and a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is approximately 5 miles south east of the town of Frodsham....
, Norley
Norley
thumb|right|200px|Map of civil parish of Norley within the former borough of Vale RoyalNorley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies to the north of Delamere Forest, near the village of Cuddington...
, Manley
Manley, Cheshire
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Manley within the former borough of Vale RoyalManley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north west of England.-External links:...
, Alvanley
Alvanley
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Alvanley within the former borough of [[Vale Royal]].Alvanley is a small rural village and civil parish near the village of Helsby, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
and Helsby
Helsby
Helsby is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. At the 2001 Census, Helsby had a population of 4,701.-Geography:...
. In the 19th century some of these villages formed separate parishes, Norley in 1836, Kingsley in 1851, Alvanley in 1861 and Helsby in 1875.
The structure of the present church dates from around 1180. It is built from local red 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,...
. In the 14th century 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...
was lengthened and the tower was built. In the following century the chancel was further lengthened and increased in height. In the 16th century the north chapel, and probably the south chapel, were added. Considerable rebuilding of the church was carried out by Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
and Garner
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley...
between 1880 and 1883. This included removing the galleries and plaster ceilings which had been inserted around 1740.
Exterior
The church is built of red sandstone. It has a symmetrical plan with a tower at the west end, a naveNave
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...
of 3½ bays
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:...
, 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, north and south two-bay chapels, and a three-bay chancel with a sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
. The north porch is dated 1715 and the south porch 1724. The tower is in three stages and has diagonal west and square east buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, a three-light west window, a clock on the north and south faces, two-light belfry windows and a crenellated
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...
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...
. The aisles and chancels are also crenellated. In the south wall of the tower have been re-set some Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
and Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
carved stones. The north chapel is known as the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (it was formerly the Helsby Chapel) and the south chapel is known as the Lady Chapel (formerly the Kingsley Chapel).
Interior
The interior of the nave is considered to be one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Cheshire. Although the arcadesArcade (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....
have been much restored, they still contain some Norman material. In the sanctuary is a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
adapted from a 14th-century corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
and a sedilia
Sedilia
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...
. In the chancel are monuments, mainly to members of the Ashley family who lived in Park Place
Castle Park House
Castle Park House is a former country house surrounded by extensive grounds in the market town of Frodsham in Cheshire, England. It is built on the site of Frodsham Castle, and originates from the late 18th century. It was extended in the 1850s, and its gardens were laid out by Edward Kemp...
. The altar rails
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
with twisted baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s date from the 17th century. The three-tier brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
candelabra
Candelabra
"Candelabra" is the traditional term for a set of multiple decorative candlesticks, each of which often holds a candle on each of multiple arms or branches connected to a column or pedestal...
was made in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in 1805. 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...
is Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and replaces an earlier three-decker pulpit. Hanging on the north wall of the nave is the sounding board
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
from the old pulpit. Beside the pulpit is a memorial to Rev William Charles Cotton
William Charles Cotton
Rev William Charles Cotton MA was an Anglican priest, a missionary and an apiarist. After education at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford he was ordained and travelled to New Zealand as chaplain to George Augustus Selwyn, its first bishop. He introduced the skills of beekeeping to North...
, vicar of Frodsham from 1857 to 1879. The 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:...
dated 1880 is by Bodley and Garner. The organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
dates from 1883 and was restored in 1922. The organ case is by John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott was an English architect.He was the son of Sir George Gilbert Scott and Caroline née Oldrid. His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, were also prominent architects. He married Mary Ann Stevens in 1868, eldest daughter of the Reverend Thomas...
. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
in the north chapel dates from around 1700, and includes Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns and 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. The stained glass includes a window in the baptistry depicting the Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd may refer to:In Christianity:* The Good Shepherd , pericope found in John 10:1-21, and a popular image in which the Good Shepherd represents Jesus...
, dated 1917, by Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt was the name of an English firm which produced stained glass windows and art tiles.The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire....
, and three windows from the 1930s by A. K Nicholson
Archibald Keightley Nicholson
Archibald Keightley Nicholson was an English 20th century ecclesiastical stained-glass maker. His father was Charles Nicholson and his two brothers, Charles and Sydney, were a church architect and church musician respectively....
. An altar table dated 1678 and the parish chest of 1679 were both made by Robert Harper. Most of the church plate was donated around 1760 by the vicar at that time, Rev. Francis Gastrell. The organ was built by Binns in 1882–83 and rebuilt by the same company in 1923. A further rebuild was carried out in 1982 by Sixsmith. 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, six of which were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
in 1734. The other two bells date from 1911 and are by John Taylor and Company. 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 begin in 1558, with a break between 1642 and 1661, 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 date from 1609.
External features
In the churchyard is a sundialSundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dated 1790. It consists of a copper dial and gnomon
Gnomon
The gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. Gnomon is an ancient Greek word meaning "indicator", "one who discerns," or "that which reveals."It has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields....
on a sandstone stem standing on a base of three round steps. It is listed Grade II. Also listed Grade II is a tomb to the memory of the Wright family dating from around 1806. It consists of a truncated
Truncation (geometry)
In geometry, a truncation is an operation in any dimension that cuts polytope vertices, creating a new facet in place of each vertex.- Uniform truncation :...
obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
on a panelled square plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
in grey stone.