St Mary's Church, Nantwich

Coordinates: 53°04′02″N 2°31′14″W / 53.0671°N 2.5206°W / 53.0671; -2.5206
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St Mary's Church, Nantwich
Style
Gothic
Specifications
Height101 feet (31 m)
MaterialsRed sandstone
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseChester
ArchdeaconryMacclesfield
DeaneryNantwich
ParishNantwich
Clergy
RectorRev Dr Mark Hart
Honorary priest(s)Canon David Taylor,
Rev David Marsh,
Rev Gordon Roxby
Curate(s)Rev Paul Wheeler
Laity
Director of musicAlison Phillips
Organist(s)Simon Russell
Churchwarden(s)Chris Harris,
Pat Stalker
Flower guildGlenys Ellis
Music group(s)Jonathan Griffiths
Parish administratorGail Johnson

St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in Nantwich, Cheshire, England.[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.[2] It has been called the "Cathedral of South Cheshire" and it is considered by some to be one of the finest medieval churches, not only in Cheshire, but in the whole of England.[3] The architectural writer Raymond Richards described it as "one of the great architectural treasures of Cheshire",[4] and Alec Clifton-Taylor included it in his list of "outstanding" English parish churches.[5]

The building dates from the 14th century, although a number of changes have since been made, particularly a substantial

Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Nantwich.[6]

History

The first building on the site was a

Royalists captured at the battles of Nantwich and Preston during the English Civil War
.

Between 1727 and 1777, the north and south galleries and a new west door were added, and windows were repaired. However, by 1789 the general structure of the church had deteriorated so much that it was said to be "so ruinous that the inhabitants cannot safely assemble".[9] In the 19th century Sir George Gilbert Scott was brought in to direct a very extensive restoration. Amongst other alterations, he removed the galleries, the box pews, and many old memorials; the floor level was lowered and the transept roofs were pitched higher.[9] Much of the eroded stone was replaced by sandstone from quarries at Runcorn,[10] but not everyone was happy with the scale and nature of Scott's restoration. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner complained about the replacement of a Decorated doorway and a Perpendicular window with corresponding structures in the style of the late-13th century.[11] The local representative of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings at the time was of the opinion that "Very great injury was done to this Church in the Restoration ...".[12] Clifton-Taylor complained about the way in which part of the church walls have subsequently been pointed.[13] The last major work to be carried out on the church was in 1878, under the direction of local architect Thomas Bower, when the south porch was restored at a cost of £900 (equivalent to £90,000 in 2021).[12][14]

Architecture

Exterior

View from the north east

The church is built in red sandstone and is cruciform in shape. Its plan consists of a four-bay nave with north and south aisles, a south porch with two storeys, a central tower, north and south transepts, and a three-bay chancel, to the north of which is a two-storey treasury. The tower is square below and octagonal above. Both transepts are of three bays and the northernmost bay of the north transept was formerly a Lady chapel. The other two bays were dedicated to Saint George. The south transept was known as the Kingsley Chapel.[4]

Pevsner, in addition to complaining about some aspects of Scott's restoration, comments on the abrupt change from the Decorated to the Perpendicular style, no doubt the consequence of the interruption to building work caused by the Black Death. This is particularly so in the chancel where the side windows are "very rich Decorated", with crocketed gables and highly decorated buttresses and pinnacles, while the seven-light east window, also under a crocketed gable, is "pure Perpendicular". The aisle windows and all the windows in the north transept are Decorated, while in the south transept one window is Decorated and all the others are Perpendicular. The bell-openings in the tower are Decorated. Pevsner describes the tower as being the "crowning motif" of the church.[11]

Interior

In 1819

Nave, transepts and porch

The south wall of the nave shows the line of the original roof before it was raised, and contains faint remains of paintings dating from the 19th century, which consist of scriptural inscriptions. In the nave is a

aumbry and in the northeast corner is an oven with a chimney, which was used for baking Communion wafers. The transept contains an oak chest dated 1676 and a bench dated 1737.[16] In the east wall of north transept are a piscina and another aumbry.[4]

There is another piscina in the south transept, although this is damaged, along with an

John Rylands Library
, University of Manchester.

Chancel

The medieval choir stalls
The chancel

The ceiling of the chancel consists of a stone

Virgin and a unicorn, and a pelican with her brood. At the ends of the choir stalls are carvings of poppyheads, wyverns and a green man.[20]

The altar table is dated 1638. In the north wall of the

Andrew, Patrick and David. The canopies above them echo those of the choir stalls.[23]

Stained glass and other features

The stained glass in the west window dates from 1875; it was made by

apostles and prophets.[23] In the porch is more stained glass by Kempe, dating from 1878.[19]

View
The organ by Forster and Andrews

The original organ of 1809 was moved from its central position in the crossing to the north transept where it was repaired and greatly enlarged at a cost of £311

William Hill & Sons during Scott's restoration in 1859[26] The instrument performed badly following the move, which was attributed to the cold and dampness of its new position. Consequently, it was moved to the south transept, but it performed no better there, and in 1889 it was sold to Haydock church.[27] The present organ was built in 1890 by Forster and Andrews. The casework of oak was designed by Thomas Bower, architect of Nantwich and the specification was approved by Dr. J.C. Bridge, organist of Chester Cathedral, who gave the opening recital on 21 May 1890.[28] It was partly rebuilt in about 1925.[29] Electric blowing apparatus and a new chamber to house it was added to the church. It was again rebuilt in 1973 by Charles Whiteley and Company, who installed electro-pneumatic action among other additions and repairs. Rushworth and Dreaper made further additions during their 1994 restoration.[30]

The

John Taylor and Company in 1922.[31]

Present day

The church attracts large numbers each Sunday. It offers a range of services, from the traditional to the contemporary.[32] During the week there are activities for children, young people[33] and adults.[34] The Rector is the Revd. Dr. Mark Hart. Other clergy include the Revd. Paul Wheeler, Curate. The Director of Music is Alison Phillips, and the Organist is Simon Russell.[35] Various events, including concerts, are held in the church.[36] Nantwich Choral Society perform in a number of venues and its "chosen venue" is St Mary's because "its acoustics are superb".[37]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Nantwich, Streetmap, retrieved 17 January 2011
  2. ^ Historic England, "Church of St Mary, Nantwich (1206059)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 14 May 2012
  3. ^ Bilsborough 1983, pp. 155–157.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Richards 1947, pp. 248–254
  5. ^ Clifton-Taylor 1974, p. 240
  6. ^ St Mary, Nantwich, Church of England, retrieved 17 January 2011
  7. ^ Nantwich Web, Netnous, archived from the original on 27 September 2007, retrieved 27 July 2007
  8. ^ a b Pritchard 1991, pp. 2–3
  9. ^ a b Pritchard 1991, p. 3
  10. ^ Starkey 1990, p. 149
  11. ^ a b c Pevsner & Hubbard 2003, pp. 285–287
  12. ^ a b Ball 1986, p. 13.
  13. ^ Clifton-Taylor 1974, p. 69
  14. ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 11 June 2022
  15. ^ a b Pritchard 1991, pp. 4–5
  16. ^ Pritchard 1991, pp. 6–7
  17. ^ a b Pritchard 1991, p. 8
  18. ^ The Building, St Mary's Nantwich, retrieved 30 January 2019
  19. ^ a b c Pritchard 1991, p. 12
  20. ^ a b c Pritchard 1991, p. 11.
  21. ^ Clifton-Taylor 1974, pp. 182–183.
  22. ^ Hutton & Cook 1979, p. 76
  23. ^ a b Pritchard 1991, p. 10
  24. ^ Pritchard 1991, pp. 6–8
  25. ^ "Nantwich Church Organ". Cheshire Observer. England. 26 February 1859. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. ^ "Nantwich Church". Chester Courant. England. 13 July 1859. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. ^ Ball 1986, pp. 14, 16.
  28. ^ "Opening of a New Organ and Nantwich". Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star. England. 24 May 1890. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies
    , retrieved 30 June 2020
  30. National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies
    , retrieved 30 June 2020
  31. ^ Nantwich S Mary, Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers, retrieved 11 August 2008
  32. ^ Service Times, St Mary's Nantwich, retrieved 30 January 2019
  33. ^ Young People, St Mary's Nantwich, retrieved 30 January 2019
  34. ^ Home Groups, St Mary's Nantwich, retrieved 30 January 2019
  35. ^ Music, St Mary's Nantwich, retrieved 30 January 2019
  36. ^ Upcoming Events, St Mary's Nantwich, archived from the original on 27 June 2014, retrieved 30 January 2019
  37. ^ Nantwich Choral Society, St Mary's Nantwich, retrieved 30 January 2019

Sources

Further reading

  • Pritchard, R. E, The Choir and Misericords of St. Mary's, Nantwich

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Mary's Church Nantwich.

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