Holy Ascension Church, Upton-by-Chester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Holy Ascension Church, Upton by Chester
Holy Ascension Church, Upton by Chester, from the northwest
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SJ 408 691
Location	Church Lane, Upton-by-Chester, Chester, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Holy Ascension, Upton
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	1 June 1967
Architect(s)	James Harrison
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1853
Completed	1967
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tile roofs
Administration
Parish	Holy Ascension, Upton
Deanery	Chester
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

Holy Ascension Church is a beautiful old church located on Church Lane in Upton-by-Chester, Chester, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it's a local church serving the community. It is part of the Church of England and is a very special building. The church is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical site.

History of Holy Ascension Church

Holy Ascension Church was designed by an architect named James Harrison. Building work began in 1853 and finished in 1854. Later, in 1958 and 1967, some parts of the church called Transepts were added. These additions were designed by A. C. Bennett and his team.

A famous politician, John Prescott, who was a Deputy Prime Minister for the Labour Party in the UK, got married to his wife Pauline at this church in 1961.

Architecture of the Church

The church is built from red sandstone rubble, which means it uses rough, natural stone pieces. It has smooth stone details called ashlar dressings. The roof is made of red tiles.

The church's layout includes a main area called a nave with five sections. There is also a small entrance porch on the south side. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, has two sections and has side wings called transepts on both the north and south sides.

At the west end of the church, there is a tall tower. This tower has three levels and stands on a strong base called a plinth. It has diagonal supports called buttresses. The tower also has two-light windows and openings for bells with special coverings called louvred bell openings. The top of the tower has a flat, plain wall called a parapet. On top of the tower is a tall, pointed roof called a spire, which has small windows called lucarnes.

The windows in the nave have two sections. The transepts have larger windows with three sections, and the east window also has three sections. Many of the church's windows feature beautiful stained glass. This glass was created by an artist named Charles Eamer Kempe. The west window's glass is from 1883, the east window's from 1885, and other windows have glass from between 1871 and 1873.

The church also has a large organ, which is a musical instrument. This organ has two keyboards, called manuals, and was made by Charles Whiteley and Company.

Churchyard and War Graves

The area around the church, known as the churchyard, is a burial ground. It contains special graves for soldiers who died in wars. These are called Commonwealth war graves. There are graves for three British Army soldiers from World War I and for two soldiers and an airman from World War II.

See also

• Listed buildings in Upton-by-Chester