St Mary's Church, Hale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Hale |
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St Mary's Church, Hale, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SJ 471 820 |
| Location | Church End, Hale, Halton, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Mary, Hale |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 28 January 1971 |
| Architect(s) | Buxeby and Evans (1979–80) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic, Neoclassical |
| Completed | 1980 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Hale St Mary |
| Deanery | Widnes |
| Archdeaconry | Warrington |
| Diocese | Liverpool |
| Province | York |
St Mary's Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Hale, Cheshire, England. It's a very important building, listed as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a special historic place that needs to be protected. St Mary's is an active Anglican church, which is part of the Church of England.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
The oldest part of St Mary's Church is its tower, which was built way back in the 14th century. The rest of the church was built much later, between 1758 and 1759. It replaced an even older church that stood on the same spot.
Changes Over Time
The church had some updates in 1874 and 1903. During these times, a small room called a vestry was added to the northwest side. However, in October 1977, something terrible happened: the church was badly damaged by a fire. Only the strong walls and the tower were left standing. Because of this fire, most of the earlier updates were lost, except for the vestry walls.
After the fire, workers found the foundations of an even older, narrower church that was built with wood. The church was rebuilt between 1979 and 1980 by architects Buxeby and Evans. They replaced the roof and the inside of the church, making it beautiful again.
Exploring the Church's Design
Outside the Church
St Mary's Church is built from red sandstone blocks, and its roof is made of slate. The church has a rectangular shape with five sections, a tower on the west side, and a small porch on the south side. There's also a vestry and a chapel that sticks out on the north side.
The tower is square and has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. The top of the tower has a crenellated parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall. There's a main door on the west side of the tower with a window above it. Higher up, where the bells are, you can see two-light windows with louvred openings on all sides. The windows along the main part of the church are rounded at the top. The east window is very grand, with a special design called "Venetian style," and it has a carved cherub (a small angel figure) above it.
Inside the Church
The roof inside the church was built between 1979 and 1980. It's made of shiny varnished chestnut wood and is divided into five sections with lots of decorative moulding.
The organ gallery, which is a raised platform for the organ, is at the west end of the church. It stands on Tuscan columns and is a copy of the one that was destroyed in the fire. The church has collected its furniture from different places. For example, the font, which is a bowl used for baptisms, has cherubs carved into it and dates back to the 18th century. It even spent about 100 years in a garden before coming to the church!
The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is made of oak and dates from the 17th century. It also stands on Tuscan columns and originally came from York Minster, a very famous cathedral. The pews, which are the long benches where people sit, came from another church called St Mary, Ince-in-Makerfield, which was taken down.
The church tower holds eight bells. The six largest bells are made of steel, and the two smallest ones are made of bronze. The bronze bells were made in 1987.
Outside the Church Grounds
In the churchyard, you can find the grave of a famous person named John Middleton, who was known as the "Childe of Hale." People say he was incredibly tall, over 9 feet (about 2.7 meters)! Also in the churchyard are the graves of six soldiers who died in the World Wars: four from World War I and two from World War II.
See also
- Listed buildings in Hale, Halton
