Christ Church, Croft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christ Church, Croft
Christ Church, Croft, from the west
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OS grid reference	SJ 640,936
Location	Lady Lane, Croft, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Christ Church, Croft
History
Status	Parish church
Consecrated	29 November 1833
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	9 August 1966
Architect(s)	Edward Blore
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1832
Completed	1833
Construction cost	£2,667
Administration
Parish	Croft with Southworth
Deanery	Winwick
Archdeaconry	Warrington
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York

Christ Church is a beautiful old church located on Lady Lane in Croft, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican church, which means it is part of the Church of England. It serves the local community as a parish church. This church is considered very important and is protected as a Grade II listed building by English Heritage. It was also one of the special "Commissioners' churches" built a long time ago with help from a government grant.

Building the Church: A Look at its History

The church was built between 1832 and 1833. It was designed by a famous architect named Edward Blore. The total cost to build it was £2,667. A large part of this money, £1,457, came from the Church Building Commission. This group helped build many churches across England. The church was officially opened and blessed on November 29, 1833, by the Bishop of Chester.

From 1839 to 1892, a special person named Thomas Kirkman was the rector (the main priest) of Croft with Southworth. Besides his church work, he was also a very clever mathematician! He is known for something called "Kirkman triple systems."

Church Design: What it Looks Like

Christ Church is built from red sandstone and has slate roofs. It has a long main area called a nave with five sections. There is also a short chancel at the end, which is where the altar is. At the southwest corner, there is a tall steeple.

The Steeple and Windows

The tower of the steeple is square. It has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. You can see a doorway on the east side. On the south and west sides, there are narrow, tall windows called lancet windows. Higher up, there are openings for bells, which have two narrow, slatted windows. The top of the tower then changes shape into a six-sided drum. This drum has more slatted openings called lucarnes. Above this is the very top of the spire, which also has lucarnes. All the windows throughout the entire church are these tall, narrow lancet windows.

Inside the Church

Inside Christ Church, there is a small balcony area at the west end. You can also see special panels with important Christian texts written on them. These include the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer. The reredos, which is a decorated screen behind the altar, is made from colorful marble and a special stone called Caen stone.

The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made by Mayer of Munich. It shows a picture of the Good Shepherd, with Saint Peter and Saint Paul on either side. Other windows in the church have stained glass made by a company called Shrigley and Hunt.

Images for kids

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  Christ Church, Croft, from the west