Church of St Wilfrid, Northenden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Wilfred, Northenden |
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Church of St Wilfrid
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 Church of St Wilfred, Northenden
Location in Greater Manchester
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| 53°24′26″N 2°15′13″W / 53.4071°N 2.2535°W | |
| Location | Northenden, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Central |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St Wilfred |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Architectural type | Parish church |
The Church of St Wilfrid is an Anglican church located in Northenden, a suburb of Manchester, England. It stands on Ford Lane, near the River Mersey. This church is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Manchester city centre.
This church is very old, dating back to the medieval times. It was largely rebuilt in the 1800s by a famous architect named J. S. Crowther. He used the Gothic Revival style, which brought back old Gothic designs. The church is considered a special historical building. It was given a Grade II* status on February 25, 1952. This means it is a very important historical building.
Contents
History
A Long History
The Church of St Wilfrid might have started even earlier, possibly in Saxon times. It is even mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086. The book talks about a church in "Norwardine," which is Northenden.
The church building you see today mostly dates from the 1400s. However, it was changed a lot in the 1870s. In 1872, the architect J. S. Crowther was hired to fix the church. He found that the old medieval church did not have strong foundations. Because of this, he decided to completely rebuild most of it.
Architecture
Building Design
The Church of St Wilfrid is built in a cruciform shape. This means it looks like a cross from above. It is made of red Alderley Edge sandstone with slate roofs. The main part of St Wilfrid's church building is from the 1400s.
Crowther's rebuilding work from 1873 to 1876 replaced much of the old medieval parts. His work includes many Gothic decorations. These include carved grotesques, which are funny or scary stone carvings. There are also crocketed pinnacles, which are pointy decorations on the roof. Crowther also added two octagonal stair turrets, which are small towers.
Crowther had planned to rebuild the bell tower too. But this plan was never finished. So, today, the tower is the only remaining medieval part of the building. It is designed in the Perpendicular Gothic style, which is a late Gothic style.
Inside the Church
The inside of the church has some original medieval rood screens. These are decorative wooden screens that separate parts of the church. One screen above a doorway in the south chapel is very interesting. It shows "a pair of tumblers and a monkey sitting on a drum." The tumblers are drawn in a way that makes them look like they are actually tumbling.
Next to the main part of the church is the Wythenshawe Chapel. This chapel holds the burials of the Tatton family. They lived at the nearby Wythenshawe Hall. There are many beautiful funeral monuments here. These monuments honor members of the Tatton and Egerton families. For example, there is a monument to Robert Tatton (who died in 1689) with small angel figures called putti. Another monument for Mrs. Egerton (who died in 1784) shows an urn with carved flowers.
Stained Glass Windows
The church has a full set of Victorian stained glass windows. These windows were made in the 1850s. They were saved from the old church and put back in after Crowther's rebuilding. People think the Tatton family or the Watkin family donated the glass. The Watkin family lived at Rose Hill, Northenden.
These beautiful windows were made by famous stained glass artists. These include Charles Eamer Kempe, William Wailes, and Henry Hughes. The church also has windows made by Percy Bacon Brothers and Humphries, Jackson and Ambler.
Graveyard
The church has a large graveyard. Here you can find the tomb of Sir Edward Watkin. He was a very important Victorian railway owner. Many members of the Tatton family are also buried here.
The churchyard also contains war graves. These are graves for service members who died in wars. There are eight graves from World War I and three from World War II.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Manchester-M22
Sources
