St Nicholas' Church, Burton
Encyclopedia
St Nicholas' Church, Burton is in the village of Burton, Ellesmere Port and Neston, 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 Wirral South. Its benefice
is combined with that of St Michael, Shotwick
.
stones which have been dug up in the churchyard and are now preserved in the porch and beneath the tower. Apart from the Massey chapel which was erected in 1380, the present church was built in 1721. The chancel was rebuilt in 1870.
gate posts. It is built in red sandstone
with grey slate
roofs. The plan of the church consists of a west tower, a four-bay nave which is continuous with a two-bay chancel, a north aisle and a vestry to the northeast of the aisle. At the east end of the aisle is the Massey chapel. The tower is in four stages. Doors are on the north and south faces. Above the south door is a semicircular-headed window and above this a clock with a single hand. The belfry windows are louvre
d. At the top of the tower is a cornice
and a solid parapet
. Externally on the south side, between the nave and chancel, is a multi-stepped buttress
. Built into one of the walls of the tower is a coffin lid dating from the 13th century which is decorated with a foliated cross.
is massive and plain with an Gothic
oak cover. The altar rails are Jacobean
and consist of alternate twisted and turned baluster
s. The sanctuary chair dates from the reign of Charles II
. The stained glass in the east window of the chancel is by Kempe
. One of the Massey memorials is in marble
and dated 1579, the other is in alabaster
and dated 1794. In the church is a hatchment
bearing the arms
of the Congreve family and other memorials to this family. The memorial to Richard Congreve who died in 1820 is by S. Gibson and includes a weeping putto
. The organ was built around 1935 by the John Compton Organ Co and renovated in 1985 by Rushworth and Dreaper
. The ring
is of six bells. Five of these were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester
in 1724 and the other bell, dated 1896, is by Taylor and Company. The parish register
s start in 1538.
from the 18th century. It consists of a vase-shaped pillar on a square pedestal standing on a square base slab.
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 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 Wirral South. 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 that of St Michael, Shotwick
St Michael's Church, Shotwick
St Michael's Church, Shotwick is in the village of Shotwick, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It has a Norman doorway but most of the church dates from the medieval period. Its furniture includes some ancient items. In the...
.
History
Relics of an earlier church dating from the 12th century consist of NormanNorman 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...
stones which have been dug up in the churchyard and are now preserved in the porch and beneath the tower. Apart from the Massey chapel which was erected in 1380, the present church was built in 1721. The chancel was rebuilt in 1870.
Exterior
The church stands in an elevated position above the houses of the village and is approached through GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
gate posts. It is built in 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,...
with grey 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...
roofs. The plan of the church consists of a west tower, a four-bay nave which is continuous with a two-bay chancel, a north aisle and a vestry to the northeast of the aisle. At the east end of the aisle is the Massey chapel. The tower is in four stages. Doors are on the north and south faces. Above the south door is a semicircular-headed window and above this a clock with a single hand. The belfry windows are louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
d. At the top of the tower is a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
and a solid 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...
. Externally on the south side, between the nave and chancel, is a multi-stepped buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
. Built into one of the walls of the tower is a coffin lid dating from the 13th century which is decorated with a foliated cross.
Interior
The fontBaptismal 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 massive and plain with an Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
oak cover. The altar rails are Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
and consist of alternate twisted and turned 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. The sanctuary chair dates from the reign of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. The stained glass in the east window of the chancel is by Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. One of the Massey memorials is in marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and dated 1579, the other is 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 dated 1794. In the church is a hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
bearing the arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Congreve family and other memorials to this family. The memorial to Richard Congreve who died in 1820 is by S. Gibson and includes a weeping putto
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...
. The organ was built around 1935 by the John Compton Organ Co and renovated in 1985 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...
. 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 six bells. Five of these 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 1724 and the other bell, dated 1896, is by 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 start in 1538.
External features
In the churchyard is a group of 18 chest tombs, and a group of eight raised grave slabs, which are listed Grade II. Also listed Grade II is a red sandstone 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...
from the 18th century. It consists of a vase-shaped pillar on a square pedestal standing on a square base slab.