St Martin's Church, Ashton upon Mersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Martin's Church, Ashton upon Mersey |
|
|---|---|
St Martin's Church, Ashton upon Mersey, from the southwest
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 773 930 |
| Location | Church Lane, Ashton upon Mersey, Sale, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Martin, Ashton upon Mersey |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 11 November 1966 |
| Architect(s) | W. H. Brakspear, George Truefitt |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Completed | 1887 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Lymm sandstone Slate and tile roofs Timber-framed top stage to tower |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ashton upon Mersey |
| Deanery | Bowdon |
| Archdeaconry | Macclesfield |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
St Martin's Church is located on Church Lane in Ashton upon Mersey. This area is part of Sale, which is in Greater Manchester, England. It is a very important old building. It is listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it has special historical or architectural importance. St Martin's is an active Anglican parish church. It is part of the Diocese of Chester.
Contents
History of the Church
The very first church here was built in 1304. It was probably made of wood. It stood on a site that was once an old Saxon burial ground.
Sadly, a big storm destroyed this church in 1704. A new church was then built in 1714 for a person named Joshua Allen.
Later, in 1874, a special room for baptisms, called a baptistry, was added. This was designed by W. H. Brakspear. In 1886, the small tower and clock were taken down. The next year, a new, bigger tower was built. George Truefitt designed this tower for Sir Williams Cunliffe Brooks. In the same year, 13 bells were put into the new tower. Also, a new lych gate was built at the churchyard entrance.
About the Church Building
Outside the Church
St Martin's Church is built from Lymm sandstone. Its roofs are made of slate and tiles. The church has a wide main area called a nave. This nave has four sections, known as bays. There is a porch on the south side and a baptistry on the north side. The chancel, which is the area near the altar, has a tower next to it on the south. This tower also contains a vestry, which is a room for the clergy.
The tower is square. Its top part is made of wood. It has a clock face on the south side. There are pointed roofs, called gables, on each side. An fancy weather vane sits at the very top. The baptistry is eight-sided and has a pointy, pyramid-shaped roof.
Inside the Church
At the west end of the church, there is a balcony, known as a gallery. The roof inside is a special type called a double hammer beam roof.
The walls of the chancel are covered with wood panels. These panels used to be part of old, box-like seats called box pews. There are two fonts in the church. One is from the 16th century and sits on a newer base from the 20th century. It has a date of 1304 carved on it, but this is incorrect. The other font is from the 18th century.
The church also has a long, narrow chest from 1706. This is called a parish chest. It was used to store important church documents. Many plaques remembering people, called memorial tablets, are on the walls. The church's records, known as parish registers, start from 1631. However, some parts are missing or hard to read. The beautiful, colorful glass in the east window was given by James Occleston in 1862.
Things Outside the Church
In the churchyard, you can find a sundial from the early 19th century. It is made of stone with a copper dial and a pointer called a gnomon. This sundial is also a Grade II listed item.
The lych gate is also listed as Grade II. It was built in 1887 and designed by George Truefitt. It is made of wood with a pyramid-shaped clay tile roof. It stands on a brick base. Two sides of the gate have large, round arches. The other two sides have vertical wooden pieces. All sides have round, pierced decorations just below the roof. The gates themselves are made of cast iron.
The churchyard is also home to the war graves of 16 service members. Eight of these are from World War I and eight are from World War II.
See also
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Sale, Greater Manchester
