Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SJ 758 868
Location	Bowdon, Altrincham, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Mary, Bowdon
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Virgin Mary
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	12 July 1985
Architect(s)	W. H. Brakspear
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1860
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roof
Administration
Parish	Bowdon
Deanery	Bowdon
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a beautiful old church located in the village of Bowdon. This village is close to Altrincham in Greater Manchester, England. It is a very important building, listed as a Grade II* listed building. This means it has special historical or architectural importance. The church is still active today, serving as an Anglican parish church within the diocese of Chester.

History of St Mary's Church

A church has stood on this spot for a very long time. Records from the Domesday Book mention a church here. This book was created in 1086 to survey England.

It is thought that a new church was built around the 1300s. This building was then updated in the 1500s. The church you see today was almost completely rebuilt between 1858 and 1860. W. H. Brakspear was the architect for this project. Interestingly, the old roofs from the 1500s were kept and used in the new church.

Church Architecture and Design

Outside the Church

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is built using pink and red Runcorn sandstone. Its roof is made of slate. The church has a specific layout. It includes a tall tower on the west side. There is also a long main hall called a nave with a row of windows above, known as a clerestory.

On the sides, you'll find north and south aisles. There are also north and south transepts, which are like arms extending from the main building. The chancel is at the east end, where the altar is. Next to the chancel are an organ room and a vestry on the north side, and a small chapel on the south.

The tower has four levels and strong diagonal buttresses. It features fancy clock faces and openings for bells. You can also see gargoyles, which are carved stone figures. The very top of the tower is castellated, meaning it looks like the top of a castle wall. The aisles and clerestory also have this castellated design. The transepts have pointed towers called pinnacles at their corners.

Inside the Church

When you step inside, you can see the old 16th-century roofs in the aisles. These roofs are called camber beam roofs. They are beautifully carved with decorative bosses and coats of arms. The main nave roof is a hammerbeam roof, which is a special type of wooden roof.

In the north transept, there is an altar table from the early 1700s. You can also see a chest that dates back to 1635. The chairs in the sanctuary area are from the Jacobean era, around the 1600s. A special font from the 1400s, shaped like an octagon, is now in the north aisle.

The church used to have many tombs from the Middle Ages. Some of these old tombs are still in the church today. The oldest ones are two damaged stone figures lying down in the north transept. One of these is believed to be Sir William Baguley, who passed away around 1320.

Also in the north transept is the Brereton monument. It shows stone figures of William Brereton, who died in 1630, and his wife Jane, under a decorative arch. On the side of their tomb, you can see kneeling figures of their seven children.

In the chapel, there are two memorials created by André Carpentière. One is for Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, who died in 1694, and his family. The other is for Langham Booth, who died in 1724, and Henry Booth, who died in 1727. A wall plaque for the Assheton family was made by Richard Westmacott.

In the north transept, there is a collection of loose carved stones. Some of these stones are from the Norman period, which was a very early time in English history. The church also has beautiful stained glass windows made by artists like Kempe and Clutterbuck.

The pulpit, where sermons are given, was built around 1910 by Temple Moore. The large three-manual organ was first built in 1875. It had some small changes made to it in 1960 by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. The church's parish registers, which record births, marriages, and deaths, began in 1628. The church has a ring of eight bells. These bells were cast in 1964 by John Taylor & Co.

Churchyard Features

Outside the church, in the churchyard, there are three other important structures. These are also listed as Grade II buildings. One is a sundial post made of sandstone. Its exact age is not known. It has an eight-sided shaft on a square base.

There is also a sandstone war memorial from around 1920. This memorial was designed by Arthur Hennings. The third important structure includes the piers, railings, and walls that surround the churchyard. The churchyard also contains the war graves of twelve soldiers from World War I. There is also the grave of an airman from World War II.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Bowdon, Greater Manchester
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• List of church fittings and furniture by Temple Moore