Church Of St Mary

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

SJ 87 NW NETHER ALDERLEY C.P. CHURCH DRIVE

4/115 Church of St Mary

14/4/1967

GV I

Church: C14 core, early C16 tower, early C17 additions, chancel of 1856 by Cuffley and Starkey, vestry dated 1860, general restoration 1877-8 by Austin and Paley. Ashlar buff and red sandstone. Kerridge stone-slate roof, 4-bay nave and aisles, 3-bay chancel, massive 4-stage tower and south porch. Porch has diagonal buttresses, crocketted pinnacles on the gable and a segmentally arched entrance.

Studded oak door with iron strap hinges in pointed arch behind. South aisle has a 3-light window with trefoil cusped heads and the 2-storey exterior of the Stanley pew (approached by a flight of stone steps to the right) with rectangular windows of 5 round-headed lights.

Clerestorey with simple 2-light windows. Chancel in Decorated style, the east window with reticulated tracery. North aisle has an inserted Jacobean dormer probably to light 3-decker pulpit. Tower has diagonal buttresses and bands at each stage. Pointed arched doorcase with Victorian Decorated west window. Simple 2-light window in 3rd stage and a pair of louvred 2-light Y-traceried bell openings above.

Gorgoyles support an embattled parapet.

Interior: 4-bay arcades on octagonal piers and with weakly pointed arches. South aisle contains the Stanley flying pew. Jacobean arcaded panelling to front with painted heraldry and a C18 Gothick hood. Inside is further panelling containing some medieval carving and a coved pyramidal Jacobean strapwork ceiling with a pendant. C18 musician's gallery has arms of Stanleys and other local landowners and now contains an organ of 1875. In chancel 2 Victorian recumbant effigies, the 1st Lord Stanley by Richard Westmacott jnr, the 2nd Lord Stanley by George Nelson with cosmatiesque work and a brass panel showing Lady Stanley and her 10 children. C14 font with plain circular bowl with carved head bosses on a cluster of 4 columns is very similar to Prestbury. Nave has a panelled barrel roof with cambered moulded tiebeams and the aisles have moulded panelled lean-to roofs (Pevsner and Hubbard).

The flying pew is unique in Cheshire, and the similarity of the tower with that in Mobberley suggests it is also by Richard Platt.

Listing NGR: SJ8416776144

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1777 IOE Records taken by Peter Sargeant; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr Peter Sargeant. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project