St James' Church, Gawsworth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St James' Church, Gawsworth
St James' Church, Gawsworth
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OS grid reference	SJ 890 697
Location	Gawsworth, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	https://www.gawsworthchurch.co.uk
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	14 April 1967
Architectural type	Church
Style	Perpendicular
Specifications
Materials	Limestone nave Sandstone tower and chancel Lead roof
Administration
Parish	Gawsworth
Deanery	Macclesfield
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St James' Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Gawsworth, Cheshire, England. It stands close to Gawsworth Hall. This church is very important, so it's listed as a Grade I building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a special historic place. St James' Church is an active Anglican parish church, which means it's still used for church services today. It's considered one of the 'best' English parish churches by experts. Some even describe it as "pretty, but a bit unusual"!

History of the Church

People believe there was a small chapel here as early as the 1200s. The church building you see today was mostly built in the 1400s.

Church Architecture and Design

Outside the Church

The church is built from yellow and red sandstone blocks. Its roofs are also made of stone. The oldest part is the nave, built around 1430. The tower and chancel were added about 40 years later. The whole church is built in a style called Perpendicular.

The church has a tower at the west end. It has a wide nave with three sections, but no side aisles. There is also a porch on the south side. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, is separated from the nave by a screen.

The tower has strong corner supports called buttresses. These supports used to have small spaces, or niches, where statues once stood. Look closely and you might spot gargoyles, which are decorative water spouts. There are also eight tall, pointed decorations called pinnacles. You can also see the coats of arms of old Cheshire families and Tudor badges. The porch also has niches above its doorway. Both the nave and chancel have battlements, which look like the tops of castles, and more pinnacles.

Inside the Church

The ceiling of the nave is made of rafter beams and dates back to the 1400s. The chancel ceiling, which is slightly newer, has camber beams and is covered in panels. The screen that separates the chancel from the nave was added in 1894.

The church has an octagonal, or eight-sided, font from the 1500s. It sits on a base from the 1800s and has a wooden cover. At the east end of the chancel, there is a small bell called a sanctus bell. Most of the old stained glass was removed in the 1800s. However, you can still see some small pieces in the chancel windows. The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made by William Wailes.

Fitton Family Tombs

Inside the chancel, you can find four tombs belonging to the Fitton family.

• The oldest tomb belongs to Francis Fytton and dates to 1608. On top, you can see a statue of him lying down with a beard. Below him is a skeleton.
• Across from Francis's tomb is the monument to Dame Alice Fitton, who passed away around 1626. Her statue shows her seated. In front of her are statues of her two sons kneeling, and behind her are figures of her two daughters, also kneeling.
• Next to these is the tomb of Sir Edward Fitton, 1st baronet, and his wife Anne. They died in 1619 and 1644. In front of their tomb are kneeling figures of their three sons and seven daughters. One of their daughters was Mary, who was a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I. Some people think she might be the "Dark Lady" mentioned in Shakespeare's sonnets.
• The fourth tomb is for Sir Edward Fitton, 2nd baronet, who died in 1643, and his first wife Jane.

Organ and Bells

The church organ has two manuals, which are like keyboards. It was built in 1895 by Nicholson and Lord. It was later made bigger in 1917. In 1961, the organ was rebuilt and split into two parts. This change helped to show off the beautiful west window.

The church has a ring of eight bells. Six of these bells were made at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. One was cast in 1856, and five others in 1890. The last two bells were made by John Taylor and Company in 1907. The church's parish registers, which record births, marriages, and deaths, go all the way back to 1557.

Outside the Church Grounds

At the entrance to the churchyard, there is a pair of 18th-century gate piers. These are also listed as historic buildings. On the front of these gate piers, you can see carvings of skulls and crossbones.

In the churchyard, there is a stone cross base from the 1400s or 1500s. It has a square base and an eight-sided shaft on steps. A wooden cross from the 1900s has been placed on top of the shaft. Part of the garden wall of Gawsworth Old Hall also separates the churchyard from the Hall's grounds. This wall is also a listed building.

The churchyard is also home to three war graves. These are the resting places of two British soldiers from World War I and one from World War II.

Images for kids

• 

  Garden walls at Gawsworth Old Hall

• 

  Pair of gatepiers in churchyard of St James

• 

  Cross base in churchyard of St James

See Also

• Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire East
• Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
• Listed buildings in Gawsworth