St Mary's and All Saints' Church, Checkley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's and All Saints' Church, Checkley |
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The tower and nave, seen from the south
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| 52°56′18″N 1°57′35″W / 52.93833°N 1.95972°W | |
| OS grid reference | SK 028 379 |
| Location | Checkley, Staffordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.checkleychurch.co.uk/ |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 3 January 1967 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Uttoxeter Deanery |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lichfield |
St Mary's and All Saints' Church is an Anglican church. It is in the village of Checkley, Staffordshire, England. This church is a very important historic building. It is called a Grade I listed building. Some parts of the church are from the 1100s. Other parts were added later, in medieval times and the 1600s.
Exploring Checkley Church
The church has a tall tower. The bottom part of the tower was built in the 1100s. The top part was added later, in a style called Perpendicular. This style has lots of straight lines and big windows. The main entrance, called the south door, is from around the year 1300. It has a porch to protect it.
The main part of the church, called the nave, has four sections. Above these sections are windows from the 1600s. These windows are in a part called the clerestory. The rows of arches inside the church are called arcades. The north arcade is from the 1200s. The windows in the north aisle are from the 1600s and have round tops. The south arcade is taller than the north one. Some parts of it are from the 1100s, but it was changed later. The arch leading to the main altar area, called the chancel arch, is from the early 1200s. It has a pointed shape.
The chancel is the part of the church where the altar is. It has four sections and was built in the late 1200s. The large window at the east end has five lights, or sections. The side windows have three lights. All these windows have special stone patterns called tracery. The stained glass in the chancel windows is from the 1300s.
The font is a large stone bowl used for baptisms. It is shaped like a cylinder and stands on a shaft. Both parts are from the 1100s. The bowl has carvings that stick out a little. One carving shows a Lamb of God on an altar. Around the bowl, there are panels with interesting triangle patterns.
Ancient Stone Crosses
Outside the church, in the churchyard, you can find three very old stone crosses. They are south of the church and are close together. People think they are still in their original spots. There is a story that these crosses were put up to remember three bishops. The story says these bishops were killed in a battle near the village a long time ago. These crosses are considered some of the best Anglo-Scandinavian crosses in Staffordshire.
Each cross is part of a longer cross-shaft. They get narrower towards the top and have a rectangular shape. The cross on the south side is about 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) tall. The middle cross is about 1.35 meters (4.4 feet) tall. Both of these crosses have carvings on all four sides. You can see full-length human figures and woven patterns. On the southern cross, these patterns are separated by curved lines. On the central cross, they are separated by straight lines. The cross on the north side is about 1.43 meters (4.7 feet) tall, but it does not have any carvings.
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