St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover
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| St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover | |
St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover |
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  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lower Peover, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Anthony Salvin |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Timber framing Sandstone tower |
St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover is in the village of Lower Peover, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ744743). It is a Grade I listed building.[1] The church differs from the majority of churches in Cheshire in that its body is timber framed.[2] It is one of the oldest timber framed churches in Europe.[3]
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[edit] History
A church has been on this site since at least 1269, when it was a chapel of ease to Great Budworth.[4] A south chapel was added around 1610 and the north chapel in 1624.[5] The west tower was erected probably before 1582.[1][4] The aisles were altered and re-roofed in 1852 by Anthony Salvin[1] and there have been subsequent restorations.[4]
[edit] Structure
The tower is built in Alderley sandstone and the body of the church is timber framed.[1] The plan consists of a west tower, nave and chancel, with north and south aisles and chapels at their east ends.[5] The tower has three stages, with a west door above which is a two-light window. On the north, west and south faces are lozenge-shaped clock-faces and two-light belfry windows. The top of the tower is crenellated and on each corner are diagonal buttresses.[1] The north chapel is the Holford chapel, which is now used for the organ chamber and vestry. The south chapel is the Hulme or Grosvenor chapel and the small Shakerley chapel.[4]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
Many of the pews are Jacobean, as are the pulpit[4] and the lectern.[6] The cylindrical font is of uncertain date, and was reputedly brought here from Norton Priory in 1322.[7] The screen to the Holford chapel dates from the early 17th century and the screen separating the chapel from the nave is dated 1642. The screen to the south chapel is Jacobean, consisting of four bays surmounted by three large spheres. In the chapel is a large 13th century chest made from one piece of oak, 6 feet (2 m) in length and 2 feet (1 m) wide. In the church are two cupboards dated 1737 which were used for the distribution of the bread charities. Also in the church are many memorials to the Shakerley, Leicester and Cholmondeley families.[4] One of these is to Godfrey Shakerley who died in 1696 and another is to Katherine Shakerley who died in 1725.[6]
The parish registers date from 1570 and the churchwardens' accounts from 1699. The church plate includes two patens and a chalice from the 17th century and a flagon dated 1687. The ring consists of six bells.[4]
[edit] External features
In the churchyard is a sundial dating from the 18th century which consists of an octagonal shaft on square steps. The shaft has a square dial on a square stone head and a gnomon is present. It is listed Grade II.[8] The lychgate dated around 1896 is also listed Grade II.[9]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Images of England: Church of St Oswald, Nether Peover. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ Bilsborough, pp143–144
- ^ Bilsborough, p151
- ^ a b c d e f g Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: B. T Batsford, 200–204.
- ^ a b Salter, Mark (1995). The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire. Malvern: Folly Publications, 44-45. ISBN 1871731232.
- ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus; Edward Hubbard [1971] (2003). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 258. ISBN 0 300 09588 0.
- ^ St. Oswald, Lower Peover, Cheshire. Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland.
- ^ Images of England: Sundial. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ Images of England: Lychgate. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
[edit] References
- Bilsborough, Norman (1983). The Treasures of Cheshire. Manchester: The North West Civic Trust. ISBN 0901347353.
