kids encyclopedia robot

St Mary's Church, Pulford facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
St Mary's Church, Pulford
St Mary's Church, Pulford.jpg
St Mary's Church, Pulford
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference SJ 375,587
Location Pulford, Cheshire
Country England
Denomination Anglican
Website St Mary, Pulford
History
Status Parish church
Dedication St Mary
Architecture
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated 2 November 1983
Architect(s) John Douglas
Architectural type Church
Style Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking 1881
Completed 1884
Specifications
Materials Red sandstone with bands of lighter stone
Red tiled roof, shingled
Administration
Parish Eccleston and Pulford
Deanery Chester
Archdeaconry Chester
Diocese Chester
Province York

St Mary's Church is a beautiful old church located in the village of Pulford, Cheshire, England. It is a very important building, listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is a special historic place.

The church is an active Anglican parish church. It is part of the diocese of Chester. It also works together with St Mary's Church in Eccleston.

Church History

The church you see today was built between 1881 and 1884. It stands on the same spot where an even older church used to be. The famous architect John Douglas designed this church.

Part of the money for building it came from the 1st Duke of Westminster. In the 1990s, the church's tall, pointed roof, called a spire, was damaged by fire. Luckily, it has since been rebuilt and looks just as it should.

Church Design

Outside the Church

St Mary's Church is built from red sandstone. It has interesting stripes of lighter stone. The roofs are covered with red tiles. The spire, the tall pointed part, is covered with wooden shingles.

The church has a cross-shaped layout. It has a main hall called a nave without side sections (aisles). There is a special area for the altar, called a chancel. This area has two side parts, or transepts, one to the north and one to the south.

The south transept holds the organ and a small room called a vestry. The church has a large tower with strong supports called buttresses. It has a spire on top and smaller spires at its corners. The church's design follows a style called Decorated Gothic.

Inside the Church

Inside, you'll find a special screen behind the altar called a reredos. This one was made by Shrigley and Hunt and uses only one color. Some of the beautiful stained glass windows were made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Another window was created by Kempe.

On the south wall, there is a special memorial board. It was made by the Randle Holme family from Chester. This board remembers members of the Burgayney family who died between 1670 and 1693. It was lost for a while during the church's rebuilding. But about 70 years later, a priest from Chester Cathedral found it at an auction!

The church has a set of eight bells. All of them were made by John Taylor and Company. Six bells were made in 1882, and the other two were made in 1903.

Around the Church

In the churchyard, you can find an old sundial from 1702. Also, to the west of the church, there is a war grave. It belongs to a soldier from the Royal Welch Fusiliers who died in World War I.

To the south of the church, you can see the remains of Pulford Castle. These are called earthworks, which are mounds and ditches that show where the castle once stood.

See also

kids search engine
St Mary's Church, Pulford Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.