St Mary's Church, Ellesmere facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Ellesmere
Chancel and tower of St Mary's Church, Ellesmere, from the south
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OS grid reference	SJ 403 348
Location	Ellesmere, Shropshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	19 March 1951
Architect(s)	George Gilbert Scott Arthur Blomfield J. Loughborough Pearson (restorations)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Ellesmere
Deanery	Ellesmere
Archdeaconry	Salop
Diocese	Lichfield
Province	Canterbury

St Mary's Church is a beautiful old church located on a hill in Ellesmere, Shropshire, England. It's an active Anglican parish church, which means it's part of the Church of England and still used for services today. This church is very special because it's a 'Grade I listed building'. This means it's considered a building of great historical and architectural importance.

History of St Mary's Church

The church first started being built during the Norman era. You can still see some parts of its original Norman architecture today. The south chapel, a smaller room next to the main altar, was added in the early 1300s. The church tower was built between 1439 and 1449.

In the mid-1800s, the church was updated and repaired by a famous architect named George Gilbert Scott. He replaced the main part of the church, called the nave. He also fixed the transepts, which are the parts that stick out on the sides, making the church look like a cross. He even added a small stair turret to one of the transepts.

Later, in 1883, another architect, Arthur Blomfield, worked on the south chapel. Then, in 1887, J. Loughborough Pearson rebuilt the east wall of the main altar area and fixed its large window. Finally, in 1904, decorative pointed tops called Pinnacles were added or repaired on the tower.

Architecture and Design

St Mary's Church is built from sandstone and has slate roofs. It has a cross-shaped layout. This includes a long main hall (the nave), side aisles, two transepts (the arms of the cross), a main altar area (the chancel) with two side chapels, and a tower right where the nave and transepts meet.

Outside the Church

The church tower has two levels. Each level has pairs of two-light Perpendicular windows where the bells are. Above these windows, there's a decorative band with four-leaf shapes, gargoyles (stone carvings that look like monsters), and a battlemented top edge like a castle. There are also eight pinnacles on the tower.

The transepts were originally built in an older style called Early English Gothic. The north doorway of the north transept still shows this style. The north chapel is built in the Perpendicular style, which is a later Gothic design.

Inside the Church

The arches in the nave are supported by groups of pillars and have decorative moulded edges. The area under the tower is also in the Early English style.

The roof of the south chapel is very special and considered one of the best in the county. It rests on stone corbels, which are carved with faces and leaves. The roof is quite flat and has carved beams, rafters, and decorative bosses. These bosses are carved with the symbols of the Stanley family. A wooden screen with a pierced design is above the west arch of this chapel.

Between the north chapel and the chancel, there's a row of arches supported by eight-sided pillars. In the chancel, there's a triple sedilia, which is a set of three seats for priests.

The font, used for baptisms, is from the 1800s. It has carvings showing scenes from Christ's Passion. This font replaced an older one from 1569. Other church furniture, like the pulpit (where sermons are given) and the lectern (where readings are done), were designed by George Gilbert Scott.

Stained Glass and Monuments

All the windows in the church have beautiful stained glass. The large east window, made in 1889 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, shows the Ascension of Jesus. The east window in the south chapel, from 1883 by Burlison and Grylls, shows Christ and saints.

Other windows in the church were made by different artists. For example, windows in the south transept and aisles are from 1849–1850 by William Wailes. The north window in the north transept (around 1853) is by O'Connor, and the west window of the nave (1849) is by William Warrington.

The oldest monument in the church is from the early 1300s. It's a stone figure of a knight, which now stands upright. There's also a tomb with alabaster figures of Sir Francis Kynaston, who died in 1581, and his wife.

Music and Bells

The church has a large three-manual pipe organ. It was built by Nicholson and Company in 1928. Later, in 1997, it was rebuilt and improved by Cartwright and Cartwright.

There is also a ring of eight bells in the tower. All of them were made by Rudhall of Gloucester. Three bells are from 1727, four are from 1768, and the last one is from 1799.

Churchyard Features

In the churchyard, you can find a sundial from 1726. It has a stone base and a bronze dial for telling time by the sun. This sundial is listed at Grade II, meaning it's also historically important.

Also in the churchyard is the parish war memorial, which was unveiled in 1920. It's an 18-foot tall cross made of Runcorn stone. The top part shows carvings of the Crucifixion, St John, St Mary, and St George fighting the dragon. Metal plates around its base list the names of 68 men from World War I and 10 from World War II.

Images for kids

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  Chancel and tower of St Mary's Church, Ellesmere, from the south