St Mary's Church, Astbury

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St Mary's Church, Astbury
St Mary's Church, Astbury
Shown within Cheshire
Basic information
Location	Newbold Astbury, Cheshire, England
Geographic coordinates	53°09′02″N 2°13′52″W / 53.1506, -2.2310Coordinates: 53°09′02″N 2°13′52″W / 53.1506, -2.2310
Religious affiliation	Anglican
District	Diocese of Chester
Ecclesiastical status	Parish church
Leadership	Revd Dr Jeff Cuttell, rector
Website	St Mary's Church
Architectural description
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Tower millstone grit Body of the church yellow sandstone with metal roof

St Mary's Church, Astbury is in the village of Newbold Astbury, south of Congleton, Cheshire, England, sited at the apex of the village green (grid reference SJ845615). It is a Grade I listed building.^[1] The first church on the site was in the Saxon era but the present church dates from the 15th century.^[2] It is unusual in that its spire is at a distance from the main body of the although although it is attached to it by a porch.^[3] Other features include a parvise over the west porch, the fine wooden roof over the nave and chancel, the large amount of medieval fittings and furniture and, in the churchyard, the large number of memorials, which include a canopied tomb. Richards considers this to be one of the most beautiful churches in the county.^[2] Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'outstanding' English parish churches.^[4] Pevsner calls it "one of the most exciting Cheshire churches".^[5] It continues to be active as a parish church.^[6]

Contents 1 History 2 Structure 3 Fittings and furniture 4 External features 5 Notes 5.1 References 5.2 Bibliography

[edit] History

A Saxon church was on the site at the time of the Domesday Book and it was replaced by a Norman church. It was originally the mother church of Congleton. The Norman church was almost entirely replaced by a building in the Early English style and this was in turn largely replaced in the 15th century.^[3] It was restored in 1862 by Sir George Gilbert Scott.^[2]

It is said that during the civil war while Biddulph Hall was under siege, Sir William Brereton's Roundheads stabled their horses in the church. They damaged the medieval glass windows and removed some of the church furniture, including the organ.^[2]

[edit] Structure

The spired tower is at the northwest corner. It dates from the mid-14th century and is constructed from millstone grit, an unusual material for churches in Cheshire which are usually built in sandstone.^[2] Clifton-Taylor draws attention to the crispness of the details of the stonework 500 years after it was carved compared with sandstone which is prone to weathering.^[7] The body of the church is built in yellow ashlar sandstone with a metal roof.^[1] The church is wide, tapering towards the east, with seven bays. Its plan consists of a nave leading to the chancel, north and south aisles, north and south chapels and north, south and west porches.^[8]

The nave is divided from the aisles by five pointed arches, the pillars being without capitals. The nave has a clerestory with a fine 15th century roof. This runs in one sweep over the nave and chancel in seven bays. It exhibits much fine carving including pendants, bosses and shields. The west porch consists of three stages and is in perpendicular style. It contains a statue of the Virgin and Child in a niche with a canopy and also at the angles of the ceiling four figures playing musical instruments. The south porch is in decorated style and contains stone seats and remains of two holy water stoups. Above this porch is a parvise with an iron-banded floor, iron-barred windows and a squint. The staircase leading to it is composed of old gravestones.^[2]

[edit] Fittings and furniture

The church contains more medieval fittings and furniture than any other Cheshire church. The elaborately carved chancel screen is dated 1500, its carvings including birds, roses, vines and foliage. The chancel stalls and the carved wooden eagle lectern date from around the same date.^[2] The lectern is one of the oldest eagle lecterns in the United Kingdom.^[9] The altar rails are from the early 17th century as are the pulpit, and a holy table which is now in the south aisle. The pews are all Jacobean. The font cover is Carolean in style. The royal arms of Charles II is in the north aisle. At the 1852 restoration whitewash was removed from the walls revealing the royal arms of Henry VII and paintings which include one of The Blessed Virgin knighting St George.^[2] In the west windows of both aisles is stained glass dating from around 1500.^[10][11] In the north aisle is a small part of an 11th century Anglo-Saxon circular cross-shaft carved with interlace decoration.^[12]

There are 76 memorials in the church. These include the 14th century tomb of Ralph Davenport with the recumbent figure of a knight. In the church are two sanctuary chairs and six old chests, one of which is iron-bound dating from the 13th century. The church plate includes two chalices dated 1634, a plate dated 1706 and two large flagons donated in 1716. The parish registers begin in 1572 and the churchwardens' accounts in 1711, but the latter are incomplete.^[2] In 1947 the ring consisted of six bells. These had been recast in 1925 from the metal of the previous four bells which all dated from the 17th century.^[2] The ring has since been increased to eight bells.^[13]

[edit] External features

In the churchyard are 51 gravestones dating from the 17th century.^[2] The most important monument is the canopied tomb of a member of the Venables family which dates from the late 13th century and which was formerly inside the church. It contains two figures, male and female, with their hands clasped in prayer. On the canopy are crocketed pinnacles which date from the 17th century. It is listed Grade II*^[14] and is the only one of its kind in Cheshire.^[2] Four other structures around the church are listed as Grade II. These are tombstones with weathered effigies to the north and to the south of the Venables tomb,^{[15] [16]} an 18th century octagonal pillar standing on a two steps which were formerly the base of a cross dating from the 16th century,^[17] and the yellow sandstone gateway to the churchyard which consists of an arch with crocketed pinnacles.^[18] A yew tree in the churchyard is believed to be over 1,000 years old.^[19]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography