St Mary's Church, Disley

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St Mary's Church, Disley

St Mary's Church, Disley
St Mary's Church, Disley (Cheshire)
St Mary's Church, Disley
Shown within Cheshire
Basic information
Location Disley, Cheshire, England
Geographic coordinates 53°21′27″N 2°02′18″W / 53.3576, -2.0383Coordinates: 53°21′27″N 2°02′18″W / 53.3576, -2.0383
Religious affiliation Anglican
District Diocese of Chester
Year consecrated 1558
Ecclesiastical status Parish church
Architectural description
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Gothic
Gothic Revival
Year completed 1835
Specifications
Materials Buff sandstone, lead roof

St Mary's Church, Disley is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ974845). It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The original church was intended as a chantry chapel for the fifth Sir Piers Legh of Lyme in the early 16th century but Sir Piers died before it was completed. [2] It was built between 1527 and 1558[1] in which year it was consecrated and became a parish church.[2] The church was rebuilt between 1824 and 1835 when only the tower and nave ceiling were retained.[1]

[edit] Structure

The church is built of buff sandstone with a lead roof. Its plan consists of a west porch and tower, a four-bay nave with clerestory, north and south aisles, and a one-bay chancel.[1] The tower is in perpendicular style.[3] It has four stages, with angle buttresses and a castellated parapet with the bases of eight pinnacles. On top of the tower is a wrought iron weather vane formerly on Stockport parish church. The tower has a west window of three lights with straight mullions and three-light louvred bell openings. On the south face is a sundial. The porch was originally on south of the church. This is castellated with crocketted pinnacles and a central cross.[1]

[edit] Fittings and furniture

Inside the church are galleries at the west end and over the aisles.[1] In the 19th century restoration the 16th century roof was retained. Richards considers it to be "the glory of the church". It is camber beam in type and richly moulded and decorated, with bosses, angels and crows' feet. The memorials include one to Thomas Legh of Lyme Park who died in 1857 and another to Joseph Watson, park keeper at Lyme for more than 64 years, who died in 1753 at the age of 104.[2] On the parapet of the west gallery are the coat of arms of George IV.[4] The windows contain medieval glass from the Continent.[2][5] The organ case dated 1836 is by Samuel Renn.[3] The ring is of six bells, which are all dated 1837. The parish registers begin in 1591.[2]

[edit] External features

The lych gate erected in 1891 is listed Grade II.[6] In the churchyard is a cross base for twin Anglo-Saxon crosses.[7]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Image of England: Church of St Mary, Disley. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: Batsford, 143–145. 
  3. ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus; Edward Hubbard [1971] (2003). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 198. ISBN 0 300 09588 0. 
  4. ^ Morant, Roland W. (1989). Cheshire Churches. Birkenhead: Countyvise, 128–129. ISBN 0 907768 18 0. 
  5. ^ Disley, St Mary. Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) of Great Britain (Stained glass). Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  6. ^ Image of England: Lych gate. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  7. ^ St Mary (Disley). The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.