St Mary's Church, Thornton-le-Moors facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Thornton-le-Moors
St Mary's Church, Thornton-le-Moors, from the south
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OS grid reference	SJ 442 746
Location	Thornton-le-Moors, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	1 June 1967
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic
Closed	2002
Specifications
Materials	Red sandstone, slate roofs

St Mary's Church is an old Anglican church in the small village of Thornton-le-Moors, Cheshire, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, which is why it's called a "redundant" church. This special building is protected as a Grade I listed building because it's very important. The Churches Conservation Trust now looks after it, making sure it stays safe for everyone to visit.

History of St Mary's Church

A small chapel stood on this spot a very long time ago, during Saxon times. It was even mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086. This early chapel was dedicated to Saint Helen.

Most parts of the church you see today, like the main hall (called the nave), the area around the altar (the chancel), and the side section (the south aisle), were built in the 1300s. The south door is also from this period.

In the 1500s, another chapel, known as the Elton Chapel, was added. The church tower was also built around this time. The tower was damaged by a fire in 1909 but was mostly rebuilt in 1910. A small entrance area, the south porch, was added in the late 1600s.

Originally, the nave and chancel were one open space. However, an arch was built between them in the 1800s. The church also had a big makeover in 1878, known as a Victorian restoration.

St Mary's Church stopped holding regular services in 2002. In 2009, it was officially given to the Churches Conservation Trust. They spent £350,000 on repairs and making it beautiful again. Now, the church is open for visitors and can be used by the local community.

Architecture of the Church

Outside the Church

The church is built from red sandstone, which is a type of rock. Its roofs are made of slate. The church has a main hall (the nave) with five sections, and the chancel has three sections. There's also a side section (south aisle) and a south porch.

The tower is part of the church, located at the west end of the aisle. The Elton Chapel, which has three sections, is located to the east of the aisle.

Inside the Church

The chancel still has its original medieval hammerbeam roof. This is a special type of wooden roof that looks like hammer-shaped beams. However, the nave's roof was replaced with pitch pine wood during the 1878 restoration.

The chancel walls are covered with oak panelling, which used to be part of the church pews. There's also an oak screen that separates the chancel from the Elton Chapel. The church organ is now at the west end of the chapel. The rest of the chapel is used as a vestry, which is a room where clergy prepare for services.

The rails around the altar are from 1694, as is the altar table itself. You can find a piscina (a stone basin used for washing sacred vessels) in the wall of the aisle. In the vestry, there's a small church chest and two special chairs from the early 1600s.

The church has two fonts, both likely from the 1600s. One of them, which has eight sides, was once used as a garden vase! On the walls, you can see memorials for important local families. There are also 11 painted memorial panels and hatchments, which are special shields showing family coats of arms. Some of these might have been painted by members of the Randle Holme family from Chester.

The church's parish registers, which record births, marriages, and deaths, start from 1574. However, some records are missing from 1682 to 1688. The church also has a ring of four bells. These bells were made by John Taylor and Company in 1909.

Outside the Church Grounds

Some of the churchyard walls and the gate piers (stone posts) are also protected as Grade II listed structures. There's also a table tomb (a type of grave) in the churchyard that is listed.

You can also find a sundial in the churchyard, which has an eight-sided stand and is dated 1754. The churchyard also contains the war grave of a soldier from the First World War who served in the King's Liverpool Regiment.

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
• Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
• Listed buildings in Thornton-le-Moors
• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England