St Mary's Church, Cheadle
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Cheadle, is in High Street, Cheadle
, Greater Manchester
, England. 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 Macclesfield and the deanery of Cheadle. Its benefice
is united with that of St Cuthbert, Cheadle.
in 1541, and the tower was built between 1520 and 1540. The chancel
was built between 1556 and 1558 for Lady Katheryn Bulkeley, who had formerly been the Abbess of Godstow. The south porch is dated 1634, but this was the date it was repaired rather than the date of its building. The church was rebuilt and restored
between 1859 and 1862, and there was a further restoration by J. Medland Taylor in 1878–80. In the 20th century, a cloakroom was added.
and is entirely in the Perpendicular style. Its plan consists of a tower centrally at the west, a four-bay nave with clerestory
, a south porch and north and south aisles. At the east end of each aisle is a chapel. The chancel is wider than the nave, and to its north is a vestry. The tower is in three stages with diagonal buttress
es, a clock in the second stage, four-light bell openings, and a castellated parapet
with gargoyle
s. The parapet of the nave is also castellated. The porch has angle buttresses which terminate in crocket
ed pinnacle
s. The doorway is of Tudor
pattern with panels of carved tracery. At the west end of the chancel gable
is a bellcote.
in type with gilded
bosses
. The chancel screen incorporates parts of the earlier rood screen
. The choir stalls date from the 19th century, and are elaborately carved with scenes and poppyheads
. The sedilia
dates from 1862, and the pulpit
from the 1870s. Both chapels have carved screens containing original material from the 15th and 16th centuries in their lower parts. The baluster
font
is dated 1837 and is by George Smith
. On display in the church is an 11th-century stone cross, discovered during the construction of the nearby Barnes Hospital
in 1874. In the south chapel are three recumbent effigies
. Two are in alabaster
and are thought to represent members of the Hondford (or Handford) family, Sir John, who died in 1461 and his son, also named John. The third is in sandstone and represents Sir Thomas Brereton of Handforth
who died in 1673. The church contains brasses
dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. There is also a tablet dated 1817 by John Bacon junior
. In a south aisle window is a fragment of ancient glass with the Stanley arms. This has been incorporated in a window of 1917 designed by Christopher Whall
. On the south side of the church is a window of 1921 by Veronica Whall
. There are windows in the sides of the chancel dating from the 1860s by Charles Gibbs, and windows elsewhere by Mayer of Munich
. The organ was built in 1881 by Hill and Son of London. The ring
is of eight bells. Six of these by Abel Rudhall
are dated 1749 and the other two by John Taylor and Company date from 1882. The parish register
s begin in 1558.
Cheadle, Greater Manchester
Cheadle is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It borders the districts of Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and the East Didsbury area of Manchester. As of 2001 it had a population of 14,261.-Early history:There has...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, 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 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 Macclesfield and the deanery of Cheadle. 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 that of St Cuthbert, Cheadle.
History
A church has been on this site since at least 1200, but the present church was built mainly between 1520 and 1550. The south chapel was completed in 1530, the 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...
in 1541, and the tower was built between 1520 and 1540. 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 built between 1556 and 1558 for Lady Katheryn Bulkeley, who had formerly been the Abbess of Godstow. The south porch is dated 1634, but this was the date it was repaired rather than the date of its building. The church was rebuilt and restored
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...
between 1859 and 1862, and there was a further restoration by J. Medland Taylor in 1878–80. In the 20th century, a cloakroom was added.
Exterior
The church is built in grey 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,...
and is entirely in the Perpendicular style. Its plan consists of a tower centrally at the west, a four-bay nave with clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, a south porch and north and south aisles. At the east end of each aisle is a chapel. The chancel is wider than the nave, and to its north is a vestry. 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, a clock in the second stage, four-light bell openings, and a castellated 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...
with gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s. The parapet of the nave is also castellated. The porch has angle buttresses which terminate in crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ed pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s. The doorway is of Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
pattern with panels of carved tracery. At the west end of the chancel gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
is a bellcote.
Interior
The roof is camber beamCamber beam
In building, a camber beam is a piece of timber cut archwise, or with an obtuse angle in the middle, commonly used in platforms, as church leads, and other occasions where long and strong beams are required....
in type with gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
bosses
Boss (architecture)
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood.Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the intersection of a vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations...
. The chancel screen incorporates parts of the earlier rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
. The choir stalls date from the 19th century, and are elaborately carved with scenes and 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....
. The 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...
dates from 1862, and 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...
from the 1870s. Both chapels have carved screens containing original material from the 15th and 16th centuries in their lower parts. The 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...
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:...
is dated 1837 and is by George Smith
George Smith (architect)
George Smith was an English architect and surveyor of the early 19th century, with strong connections with central and south-east London....
. On display in the church is an 11th-century stone cross, discovered during the construction of the nearby Barnes Hospital
Barnes Hospital
Barnes Hospital, also known as Barnes Convalescent Home, in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, is a former hospital. It is located near to the A34 road and is in the middle of the complex interchange between the A34, M60 motorway and M56 motorway. Whilst the hospital was constructed in a rural...
in 1874. In the south chapel are three recumbent effigies
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,...
. Two are in alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
and are thought to represent members of the Hondford (or Handford) family, Sir John, who died in 1461 and his son, also named John. The third is in sandstone and represents Sir Thomas Brereton of Handforth
Handforth
Handforth is a suburban area situated between Wilmslow, Heald Green, and Styal in Cheshire, England. Travelling south from Manchester, Handforth is the first place in Cheshire, although other areas nearer Manchester lie within the historic boundaries of the county.In the 1950s, two overspill...
who died in 1673. The church contains brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. There is also a tablet dated 1817 by John Bacon junior
John Bacon (sculptor) (1777-1859)
John Bacon was an English sculptor.Bacon was the second son of the sculptor John Bacon R.A. He entered the Royal Academy Schools at the age of twelve. At fifteen he exhibited his first work, at sixteen he was awarded the silver medal of the Royal Academy, and at seventeen the gold. His prize work...
. In a south aisle window is a fragment of ancient glass with the Stanley arms. This has been incorporated in a window of 1917 designed by Christopher Whall
Christopher Whall
Christopher Whitworth Whall was an English stained glass artist who worked from 1897 into the 20th century.He was an important member of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who became a leading designer of stained glass. His most important work is the glass for the Lady Chapel in Gloucester Cathedral...
. On the south side of the church is a window of 1921 by Veronica Whall
Veronica Whall
Veronica Whall was a British stained glass artist, the daughter of Christopher Whall, a leader of the Arts & Crafts Movement in stained glass. At the age of 13 she had drawn part of a window for Gloucester Cathedral and she went on to become a successful stained glass artist and a director of...
. There are windows in the sides of the chancel dating from the 1860s by Charles Gibbs, and windows elsewhere by Mayer of Munich
Franz Mayer & Co.
Franz Mayer & Co. is a famous German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 150 years...
. The organ was built in 1881 by Hill and Son of London. 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...
is of eight bells. Six of these by Abel Rudhall
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...
are dated 1749 and the other two by John Taylor and Company date from 1882. 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.
External features
In the churchyard are the base of a medieval cross shaft which has been converted into a sundial, the base of another cross in red sandstone dating from the 14th or 15th century which was restored to form a memorial in 1873, and the 18th-century chest tomb of the Crosier family. These are all listed Grade II. Also listed Grade II is the lych gate erected in 1883.See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Greater ManchesterGrade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester-See also:*Architecture of Manchester*Conservation in the United Kingdom*Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester*List of tallest buildings in Manchester*Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester-Bibliography:...
- List of churches in Greater Manchester