St Mary's Chapel, Arley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Chapel, Arley |
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St Mary's Chapel, Arley
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| OS grid reference | SJ 675,810 |
| Location | Arley, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Rowland Egerton-Warburton |
| Consecrated | September 1845 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Private chapel |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 7 September 1979 |
| Architect(s) | Anthony Salvin G. E. Street |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1845 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone and rendered brick Tile and slate roofs. |
St Mary's Chapel is a special private chapel located at Arley Hall. Arley Hall is a large country house near the village of Arley in Cheshire, England. This chapel is considered a very important historical building. It is listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. You can find the chapel to the northeast of the main hall.
Contents
The Chapel's Story: A Look Back in Time
Arley Hall was rebuilt between 1832 and 1845 for its owner, Rowland Egerton-Warburton. He was a very religious man who liked the Anglo-Catholic style of worship. He was also influenced by a movement called the Oxford Movement. Because of his beliefs, he wanted the chapel to be built in the Gothic style.
He asked a famous architect named Anthony Salvin to design the chapel. It was finished and officially opened in September 1845. Later, in 1856–57, another part was added. This included a north aisle (a side section) and an entrance porch. These additions were designed by another architect, G. E. Street.
Exploring the Chapel's Design
The chapel is built using red sandstone and brick that has been covered with a smooth finish called stucco. Its roofs are made of tiles and slate. The chapel has a main area called the nave with four sections. It also has a side aisle to the north, a porch on the south side, and a two-section chancel (the area near the altar). There's also an eight-sided tower for bells, called a bellcote.
Outside the Chapel: Cool Features
The porch used to connect the chapel directly to the main house. The chapel's style is known as Decorated Gothic, which means it has lots of fancy carvings and designs.
- The south wall has a window with two vertical stone bars, called a mullioned window. There's also a two-story section that sticks out, which was the old porch.
- The west wall is simple and plain.
- On the east wall, you can see a special window that sticks out, called an oriel window. It's supported by a stone buttress carved with animal shapes. On each side of this window is a small, narrow window called a lancet window.
- The bellcote is located between the south section and the nave. It has a single lancet window on one side and eight more lancet windows where the bells are.
- The north wall has two windows with two mullions each, along with buttresses and gargoyles. Gargoyles are carved stone figures that often look like monsters.
- At the east end of the nave, there's a slanted buttress with a special carved space, called a niche. Inside this niche is a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child.
- All around the nave and chancel, there's a decorative stone fence-like top called a parapet, which has holes in it.
- The south wall of the chancel has two windows with beautiful tracery (stone patterns). There's also a door for the priest and more buttresses with gargoyles above them. These buttresses have pointy tops called crocketed pinnacles.
- The east wall has two windows, one for the aisle and one for the chancel.
Inside the Chapel: What You'll See
The roof of the nave is held up by special brackets called corbels. These corbels are carved with angels holding shields, and each shield has a different design. Along the south wall of the nave, there's a decorative stone band called a string course, which is decorated with small, round shapes called ballflowers.
- The north side of the chapel has three arched openings, called an arcade. The columns supporting these arches have carved tops, called capitals, decorated with leaves.
- Inside the chapel, there are three round chandeliers that look like crowns.
- The lectern, where the Bible is read, was made by a company called Singer of Frome.
- The screen, which separates parts of the chapel, was designed by Street. It's painted with many different colors, which is called polychromatic.
- There's also a radiator grill that hides the heating system. It's designed to look like a 13th-century tomb and is decorated with lily shapes called finials.
- The font, used for baptisms, has a bowl carved with leaves and the Agnus Dei (a symbol of a lamb). It is supported by marble columns.
- In the chancel, there's a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) and a triple sedilia (a set of three seats for the clergy).
- The large window at the east end has beautiful stained glass designed by Kempe.
Visiting St Mary's Chapel Today
Today, you can visit St Mary's Chapel, along with Arley Hall and its gardens. They are open to the public at certain times, so you can go and explore this amazing historical building for yourself!
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
- Listed buildings in Aston by Budworth
- List of new churches by Anthony Salvin
