St Mary Magdalene's Church, Alsager facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary Magdalene's Church, Alsager
Southern aspect (2015)
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SJ 795,555
Location	Crewe Road, Alsager, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Mary, Alsager
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Mary Magdalene
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	26 March 1987
Architect(s)	Hubert Austin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1894
Completed	1937
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tiled roofs
Administration
Parish	St Mary Magdalene, Alsager
Deanery	Congleton
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Mary Magdalene's Church is a beautiful old church located on Crewe Road in Alsager, Cheshire, England. It's an active Anglican church, which means it's part of the Church of England. This church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene, a close friend of Jesus. It's also a very special building, listed as a Grade II listed building because of its historical importance.

History of the Church

Before the current St Mary Magdalene's Church was built, there was a simpler, temporary church. This older church was made of metal sheets, often called a "tin tabernacle". It was sold for £150 and moved to Hassall Green. Today, it is still used as St Philip's Church.

The new, stone church was built between 1894 and 1896. It was designed by Hubert Austin in 1884. His firm, Austin and Paley from Lancaster, oversaw the construction. At first, only a small part of the north side of the church was built. The rest of this side was finished much later, between 1936 and 1937. By then, Henry Paley was the architect in charge.

The church tower was meant to be much taller, with a tall, pointy roof called a spire. However, this plan was never completed. So, the tower only reaches the same height as the main part of the church.

Church Design and Look

Outside the Church

St Mary's Church is built from red sandstone and has roofs covered with tiles. The church has a main central area called the nave. On either side of the nave are narrower sections called aisles. There are also porches on the north and south sides. At the east end, there's a special area called the chancel, where the altar is. Next to the chancel are rooms for the organ and for the clergy to get ready.

The tower is at the west end of the church. It has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. There's also a small, round tower with stairs on the south side. On the west side of the main tower, there's a large window with four sections.

On the south side of the church, above the entrance, you can see a statue of Mary Magdalene. To the right of this porch are five windows. Some have two sections, and others have three. All these windows have beautiful stone patterns, known as tracery, in a style called Decorated Gothic. Along the upper part of the nave, called the clerestory, there are five windows, each with two sections. The windows on the north side of the church look similar. However, all the windows along the north aisle have three sections. On the south wall of the chancel, there are three windows, each with two sections. The very large window at the east end of the church has six sections.

Inside the Church

Inside the church, the nave and the aisles are separated by rows of arches. These arches are supported by strong pillars. On the north side of the chancel, there is another set of two arches.

In the south wall of the chancel, you can find a sedilia, which is a set of seats for the clergy. There is also a piscina, a small basin used for washing sacred vessels. The decorative screen behind the altar, called the reredos, and the screen separating the chancel from the nave were added in 1926.

The font, where baptisms take place, is square with smoothed-off corners. The church has many beautiful stained glass windows. Some were made in the early 1900s by Powells. Another window, from 1926, was designed by Karl Parsons and shows Saint Michael and Gabriel. There are also two windows by Heaton, Butler and Bayne from around 1915 and 1920.

The large organ in the church has three keyboards, called manuals. It was built in 1905 by Steele and Keay. It has been updated a few times since then, first in 1945 and again in 1978.

See also

• Listed buildings in Alsager
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1916–44)