St Peter's Church, Waverton
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church, Waverton is in the village of Waverton
, Cheshire
, England. The church 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 Malpas. Its benefice
is combined with those of St John's, Aldford
and St Mary's, Bruera
.
of the body of the church took place, one in 1845 and another in 1888 by John Douglas
when the clerestory
was rebuilt. The pyramidal roof was added to the tower in the late 19th century.
Waverton red sandstone
with a Lakeland
green slate
roof. The plan consists of a large west tower, a nave
of three bays
with a clerestory, a chancel
of one bay, and north and south aisle
s. The tower is large and, in the opinion of Richards, disproportionate to the size of the church. It is in three stages with a four-light Perpendicular window dated 1888 on the west face. Above this are square openings with quatrefoil
s, a single string course, three-light bell openings and an embattled
parapet
. The pyramidal roof is recessed and shingled
. The doorway on the west face is Tudor
in style and it leads to a porch containing a weathered
statue of the Virgin and Child between shields of the Dutton and Hatton families.
is from the 17th century. The chancel walls are timber-framed
internally and are possibly medieval
, but more likely a later copy of the original walls. Memorials are to previous rectors of the church and to members of the Dutton family of Hatton
. The east window has three lights and is Perpendicular in style. The pulpit
dated 1903 is a memorial to the 1st Duke of Westminster
. In the tower are the royal arms
of Charles II
, painted in 1663, and a table of tithe
s. The ring
consists of eight bells. Four of these are dated 1615 by George Lee, two dated 1908 are by John Taylor and Company, and the other two are dated 2008 by Taylors Eayre & Smith Ltd. The parish register
s date from 1582 and the churchwarden
s' accounts from 1744.
dated 1731 which is also listed Grade II.
Waverton, Cheshire
Waverton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies about 5 km south east of Chester...
, 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 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
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 Malpas. 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 those of St John's, Aldford
St John the Baptist's Church, Aldford
St John the Baptist's Church, Aldford is located in the village of Aldford, Cheshire, England. The church 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...
and St Mary's, Bruera
St Mary's Church, Bruera
St Mary's Church, Bruera is in the small settlement of Bruera, which lies between the villages of Saighton and Aldford, in Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. The church contains Norman elements, but it has been subjected to...
.
History
The earliest documentary evidence of a place of worship on the site is in a charter of confirmation dated 1093. Later references are in a will dated 1599 and in documents relating to the building of a north chapel in 1640 by John Tilston of Lower Huxley Hall. In the 19th century, restorationsVictorian 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...
of the body of the church took place, one in 1845 and another in 1888 by John Douglas
John 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...
when the 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...
was rebuilt. The pyramidal roof was added to the tower in the late 19th century.
Exterior
The church is built in ashlarAshlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
Waverton 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 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...
green 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. The plan consists of a large west tower, a 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...
of three 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:...
with a clerestory, a 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...
of one bay, and 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. The tower is large and, in the opinion of Richards, disproportionate to the size of the church. It is in three stages with a four-light Perpendicular window dated 1888 on the west face. Above this are square openings with quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
s, a single string course, three-light bell openings and an 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...
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 pyramidal roof is recessed and shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
. The doorway on the west face is 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...
in style and it leads to a porch containing a weathered
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
statue of the Virgin and Child between shields of the Dutton and Hatton families.
Interior
The 17th-century roofs of the nave and aisles were retained during the restorations and are dated 1635. The octagonal 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 from the 17th century. The chancel walls are timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
internally and are possibly 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...
, but more likely a later copy of the original walls. Memorials are to previous rectors of the church and to members of the Dutton family of Hatton
Hatton, Warrington
Hatton is a small village some 6 km south of Warrington, Cheshire .It lies on the B5356 road between the villages of Daresbury and Stretton. It has one public house, The Hatton Arms. This is a Grade II listed building which formerly incorporated a post office and a village store.-External...
. The east window has three lights and is Perpendicular in style. 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...
dated 1903 is a memorial to the 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
. In the tower are the royal 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 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...
, painted in 1663, and a table of 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. 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. Four of these are dated 1615 by George Lee, two dated 1908 are by John Taylor and Company, and the other two are dated 2008 by Taylors Eayre & Smith Ltd. 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 date from 1582 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 from 1744.
External features
The gates, gatepiers and churchyard walls, which are almost complete, are listed Grade II. In the churchyard 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...
dated 1731 which is also listed Grade II.