Church of St Margaret

Details

WRENBURY CUM FRITH C.P. WRENBURY GREEN SJ 54 NE 2/89 Church of St. Margaret 12.1.67 GV II*

Church. Early C16 with C18 and C19 alterations and additions, the nave and porch having been restored in 1794 and the chancel rebuilt in 1806 and re-Gothicised in 1865. Red sandstone ashlar with a plain tile roof. Aisled nave, chancel and western tower. Tower: western face: diagonal buttresses with offsets, doorway to the ground floor centre now blocked to its lower body and having a window with interlacing tracery above. Shields to the spandrels and a Tudor hood mould. Above this is a pointed arched window with deep chamfered surround which has C19 panel tracery inserted and a hood mould with figurehead label stops. String course above on which rests a central lancet with a belfry opening of 2 cusped lights with a quatrefoil above. Louvres to the openings and a hood mould over. Gargoyle to left of centre and battlemented parapet above with crocketed pinnacles to the corners. The northern side is plain to the lower body with a similar arrangement of lancet and belfry openings above the string course as appears on the western front. The southern face is essentially similar save that there is an octagonal staircase turret at riqht rising above the level of the tower parapet and finishing in an ogee lead cap with a weather cock. Above the string course is a circular iron clock face. Nave: of 4 bays with angle buttresses and chamfered window surrounds each containing 3 lights with hood moulds. Buttresses between with offsets and a battlemented parapet above set with large robustly carved gargoyles. The gabled porch to the left has diagonal buttresses, a battlemented parapet and a central double doorway with moulded surround. The clerestory of 5 bays is a later addition and has 3-light windows with square tops and two lead rainwater heads bearing the date of the restoration, 1794. Battlemented parapet above. The north side has a blank bay to the right to which a low C20 brick outshut has been added. To the left of this are 4 windows, each of 3 lights with hood moulds and figurehead label stops and having buttresses between with offsets. Battlemented parapet above. Clerestory similar to that on the southern side with two similar dated lead rainwater heads. Chancel: north side: blank save that there is a lead downpipe with moulded brackets and rainwater head dated 1806 to the re-entrant angle. The south side is similar save that it has a priests doorway with pointed arch and double chamfered surround and a similar downpipe and rainwater head to the re-entrant angle. The eastern end has a 3-light window of vaguely Perpendicular plate tracery. Blind quatrefoil to the apex dated AD 1806. Battlemented parapet above. Interior: Octagonal piers to the nave arcades, that to the northern side having slightly taller arches and capitals with different and apparently earlier moulding to the capitals in comparison with those of the southern arcade. Marks on the western wall of the tower show the original roof level before the clerestory was added. The box pews to the nave and aisles are all of early C19 date as is the western gallery which has oval panels to this front with trefoils to the spandrels and a diamond lattice pattern below with cusping forming quatrefoils. Square pulpit with chamfered corners and fluted pilasters similar to that at the Church of St. Peter , Little Budworth C.P., Vale Royal R.D.C. Fine series of wall memorial tablets in the chancel to the Cotton and Starkey families including three by John Bacon junior to Thomas Starkey of 1805 to J Jennings of London brother of Elinor Starkey of 1809 and to Elinor Starkey of 1815 all showing figures in relief against an obelisk above rectangular tablets with an apron. Memorial by Turner, architect of Chester, to Sir Lynch Salusbury Cotton Bart. of Combermere Abbey of 1775 showing urns in relief against an obelisk, also a memorial by Theed to Stapleton Cotton, Viscount Combermere, showing classical figures, of 1865 with a portrait medallion to the surmount.

Listing NGR: SJ5936447768

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

422447

Legacy System:

LBS

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