St Mary's Church, Disley
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Disley is a Church of England parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Chadkirk. It is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. Its benefice is combined with that of St John, Furness Vale.
chapel for the fifth Sir Piers Legh of Lyme
in the early 16th century but Sir Piers died before it was completed. It was built between 1527 and 1558, in which year it was consecrated
and became a parish church. Aisle
s were added to the church in 1828 by Thomas Lee, and they were enlarged in 1835 by Samuel Howard.
and originally had a lead roof. This was replaced by modern materials during the 1980s. The plan of the church consists of a west porch and tower, a four-bay
nave with a clerestory
, north and south aisles, and a single-bay chancel
. The tower has four stages, with angle buttress
es. The parapet
is castellated
and includes the bases of eight pinnacle
s. On top of the tower is a wrought iron
weather vane
that was formerly on Stockport parish church
. The tower has a three-light west window with straight mullion
s and three-light louvred
bell openings. On the south face is a sundial
. The porch was originally on south of the church. This is castellated with crocket
ted pinnacles and a central cross.
the 16th-century roof was retained. Richards considers this to be "the glory of the church". It is camber beam
in type and is richly moulded
and decorated with bosses
, angels and crows' feet. The memorials include a number to members of the Legh family
of Lyme Park
, Including Thomas Legh
who died in 1857, and to William Legh, 1st Baron Newton
, who died in 1898. There is also a floor memorial to Joseph Watson, the park keeper at Lyme for more than 64 years, who died in 1753 at the age of 104. On the parapet of the west gallery are the coat of arms
of George IV
. The windows contain medieval
glass from the Continent. The organ was built by Samuel Renn
in 1836 and rebuilt in 1882 by Alex Young. It was renovated in 1949 by Jardine and restored by Church and Company of Stamfordham in 1977. The organ case of 1836 by Renn is still in place. The ring
consists of six bells, which are all cast by Thomas Mears ;II at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
in 1837. The parish register
s begin in 1591.
crosses was discovered in the churchyard. It is listed Grade II, and is a Scheduled Monument.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
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 Chadkirk. It is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley
Disley
Disley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located on the very edge of the Peak District, in the Goyt Valley, very close to the county boundary with Derbyshire at New Mills, and south of Stockport, Greater...
, 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. Its benefice is combined with that of St John, Furness Vale.
History
The original church was intended as a chantryChantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
chapel for the fifth Sir Piers Legh of Lyme
Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a large estate located south of Disley, Cheshire, England. It consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens, in a deer park in the Peak District National Park...
in the early 16th century but Sir Piers died before it was completed. It was built between 1527 and 1558, in which year it was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
and became a parish church. 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 were added to the church in 1828 by Thomas Lee, and they were enlarged in 1835 by Samuel Howard.
Exterior
The church is built of buff 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 originally had a lead roof. This was replaced by modern materials during the 1980s. The plan of the church consists of a west porch and tower, 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 with a 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...
, north and south aisles, and a single-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...
. The tower has four stages, with angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. 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 castellated
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...
and includes the bases of eight 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. On top of the tower is a wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
that was formerly on Stockport parish church
St Mary's Church, Stockport
St Mary's Church, Stockport is the oldest parish church in the town of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It stands in Churchgate overlooking the market place . The church is a Grade I listed building...
. The tower has a three-light west window with straight 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...
s and three-light louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
bell openings. On the south face is a sundial
Sundial
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...
. The porch was originally on south of the church. This is castellated with 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....
ted pinnacles and a central cross.
Interior
Inside the church are galleries at the west end and over the aisles. In the 19th-century 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...
the 16th-century roof was retained. Richards considers this to be "the glory of the church". It is camber beam
Camber 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 and is richly moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
and decorated with 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...
, angels and crows' feet. The memorials include a number to members of the Legh family
Leghs of Lyme
The Leghs of Lyme are a family who owned Lyme Park in Cheshire, England, from 1398 to 1946, when the house and estate were given to the National Trust. In the early days of the family there were variations of both the surname, and the usually-given forename. Variations of the surname include de...
of Lyme Park
Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a large estate located south of Disley, Cheshire, England. It consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens, in a deer park in the Peak District National Park...
, Including Thomas Legh
Thomas Legh (died 1857)
Thomas Legh FRS was a politician in England.He was Member of Parliament for the rotten borough of Newton in Lancashire from 1814 until the borough was disenfrachised at the 1832 general election.- External links :...
who died in 1857, and to William Legh, 1st Baron Newton
William Legh, 1st Baron Newton
William John Legh, 1st Baron Newton , was a British Conservative politician.Legh was the son of William Legh and the member of an ancient Cheshire family. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire South from 1859 to 1868 and for Cheshire East from 1868 to 1885...
, who died in 1898. There is also a floor memorial to Joseph Watson, the park keeper at Lyme for more than 64 years, who died in 1753 at the age of 104. On the parapet of the west gallery are the coat of arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
of George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
. The windows contain medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
glass from the Continent. The organ was built by Samuel Renn
Samuel Renn
Samuel Renn was an English organ builder who ran a business in Stockport, and later he traded in Manchester.Renn was born in Kedleston, Derbyshire and in 1799 was apprenticed to his uncle, James Davis, an organ builder in London. Renn became his foreman and supervised organ installations and...
in 1836 and rebuilt in 1882 by Alex Young. It was renovated in 1949 by Jardine and restored by Church and Company of Stamfordham in 1977. The organ case of 1836 by Renn is still in place. 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 six bells, which are all cast by Thomas Mears ;II at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
in 1837. 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 1591.
External features
The lych gate built in 1891 is listed Grade II. In the churchyard the box tomb of Samuel Brady dated 1814 is also listed Grade II. In 1958 a cross base for twin Anglo-SaxonAnglo-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...
crosses was discovered in the churchyard. It is listed Grade II, and is a Scheduled Monument.