St Mary's Church, Mold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Mold |
|
|---|---|
St Mary's Church, Mold, from the south
|
|
| 53°10′09″N 3°08′35″W / 53.1691°N 3.1430°W | |
| Location | High Street, Mold, Flintshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | [1] |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 21 June 1953 |
| Architect(s) | Joseph Turner (tower) Sir George Gilbert Scott Prothero, Phillott and Barnard |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Perpendicular |
| Groundbreaking | c. 1490 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone with lead roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Mold |
| Deanery | Mold |
| Archdeaconry | Wrexham |
| Diocese | St Asaph |
| Province | Church in Wales |
St Mary's Church is a special Anglican church located in Mold, Flintshire, Wales. It's a very old and important building, listed as Grade I. This means it's considered a building of great historical interest. The church is part of the Church in Wales and serves the local community in Mold.
The church has connections to the Stanley family, who were powerful Earls of Derby. You can see their family symbols inside the church. These include an Eagle and Child, which the family started using in the 1400s. Another symbol is the Three Legs of Man, which comes from when the Stanleys were in charge of the Isle of Man.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church stands where an even older Norman church once was. That Norman church became very old and broken in the 1300s. A new, bigger church was built in the 1400s, but it also started to fall apart. Eventually, most of it was taken down, except for its tower.
Building the Current Church
Work on the church you see today began around 1490. The first person to support its building was Lady Margaret Beaufort. She was the Countess of Richmond and Derby, and the mother of King Henry VII. Lady Margaret passed away in 1509. However, the main part of the church, called the nave, and its side sections, called aisles, were not finished until about 1550.
After the English Reformation, which was a big change in the church, two bishops from St Asaph helped with money. They were Robert Wharton and William Hughes. Around this time, the church in Mold was supposed to be looked after by Bisham Priory. This group was meant to build a special part of the church called the chancel, but they never did. Instead, the archway for the chancel was closed off, and a large window was put in its place.
Changes Over the Years
Over the centuries, St Mary's Church had many updates. In 1674, a clock was bought for the church. The roof was also covered with new lead in 1678. New bells were added in 1678 and again in 1733. Some repair work happened in 1729. A special seating area, called a gallery, was built in 1751–1752.
The tall west tower was replaced between 1768 and 1773. An architect named Joseph Turner designed it. Even though it was built much later, it was designed to look like the older Perpendicular style of the church.
Victorian Restoration and Later Work
A very big restoration project took place from 1853 to 1856. This work was led by a famous architect named Sir George Gilbert Scott. During this time, a new chancel was added with a rounded end. The old west gallery was removed. The old pews were replaced with beautifully carved wooden benches. A pulpit (where sermons are given), a lectern (for reading lessons), and choir stalls were also put in.
A new roof was built over the nave. The organ was moved to a different spot, and a new entrance porch was added on the north side. In 1885, more repairs were made to the stone. Further restoration happened in 1911, overseen by architects Prothero, Phillott and Barnard. This included rebuilding the south porch. The Lady Chapel, a smaller chapel inside the church, was restored in 1921 by Sir Thomas G. Jackson. More restoration work was done in the 1950s and again from 1998 to 2001.
Church Architecture and Features
Building Structure
The main part of St Mary's Church is built from local Cefn sandstone. Most of the church is in the Perpendicular style. This style is known for its tall, slender elements and large windows. However, the inner doorway of the south porch is from the Elizabethan period.
The church has a long main area called a nave, with seven sections and a row of windows high up, called a clerestory. It also has a chancel with a three-sided end, and side aisles on the north and south. There is a tall tower at the west end, a room for the clergy (vestry) on the north, and a porch on the south. You can see many carvings on the stone, including lines of animals.
The tower has three levels and a top with a battlemented edge. It has pointed decorations called crocketed pinnacles at the corners and in the middle of each side. There are also strong supports called buttresses at the corners. A clock face is on the south wall. The aisles also have battlemented tops with pinnacles. Each section of the aisles has a window with four lights under a curved arch.
Inside the Church: Fittings and Furniture
The font, used for baptisms, is from 1847 and is also in the Perpendicular style. Its cover was made from parts of an old chandelier from the 1700s. The beautiful alabaster reredos (a screen behind the altar) was designed by John Douglas. It was made by Hardman & Co.
The pews, where people sit, are carved with special designs called poppyheads. The pulpit and choir stalls, which are from 1856, were designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The items in the north-east chapel were designed by Sir Thomas G. Jackson in 1921. They serve as a war memorial. Both organ cases, which cover the organ pipes, are from 1923.
Stained Glass Windows
The church has many beautiful stained glass windows. They were made by different artists and companies. Some of these include William Wailes, Clayton and Bell, Lavers and Barraud, Alexander Booker, and Burlison and Grylls. One window remembers the famous painter Richard Wilson, who is buried in the churchyard. Other memorials include a brass plaque from 1602 and a series of decorative frames called cartouches from 1666 to 1757.
The Organ
The organ in St Mary's Church was put in place in 1973 by a company from Liverpool called Rushworth and Dreaper. It replaced an older organ made by the same company. This organ is special because it has a "baroque voicing," which is unusual for organs in this area. Instead of the usual movable panels, it has opening doors with carved hinged panels. This organ was rebuilt again in 2008 by Peter Collins.
The Bells
The tower holds a ring of eight bells. Five of these bells were made in 1732 by Abraham Rudhall II. The other three bells were added in 2005 and were made by the Eijsbouts company.
See also
