St Wenefrede's Church, Bickley is in the civil parish of Bickley

Bickley, Cheshire

Bickley is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 498. The parish includes the villages of Bickley Town and Bickley Moss....

, 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, and 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 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 Holy Trinity Church, Bickerton

Holy Trinity Church, Bickerton

Holy Trinity Church, Bickerton stands to the north of the village of Bickerton, 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...

, St John's Church, Burwardsley

St John's Church, Burwardsley

St John's Church, Burwardsley is in the village of Burwardsley, 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 Malpas...

 and All Saints Church, Harthill

All Saints Church, Harthill

All Saints Church, Harthill is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Harthill, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. As of 2010 the church is being converted into a community facility for the village and locality.-History:A...

.

History

The church was built in 1892 and designed by the Chester

Chester

Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...

 firm of Douglas & Fordham for the 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley

George Cholmondeley, 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley

George Henry Hugh Cholmondeley, 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley PC, DL was a British peer and Lord Great Chamberlain of England between 1884 and 1923.-Background:...

.

Architecture

The church is built in 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,...

 and has a roof of 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...

s with terracotta roof tiles. Its plan consists of a broad, low, west tower, a south porch against the tower, a three-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

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...

 with a narrow north passage-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...

, 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...

, and two north vestries

Vestry

A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....

. The tower is in two stages with a splay-footed octagonal spire. It has a three-light west window and three-light bell-openings in the stage above. Inside the church is a hammerbeam roof

Hammerbeam roof

Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...

. There are texts on the roof beam, 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...

and the organ case. In the church are two stained glass windows designed by J. E. Nuttgens.

Further reading