St Michael's Church, Marbury Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Marbury
St Michael's Church, Marbury, from the south
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OS grid reference	SJ 560,457
Location	Marbury, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Michael, Marbury
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Michael
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	12 January 1967
Architect(s)	Sir Jeffry Wyatville (chancel 1822) Douglas and Fordham (restoration 1891–92)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic, Gothic Revival
Completed	1892
Specifications
Materials	Red sandstone ashlar, Slate roof
Administration
Parish	Marbury
Deanery	Malpas
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Michael's Church, also known as St Michael and All Angels, is a historic church in the village of Marbury, Cheshire, England. It sits on a small hill overlooking a lake called Big Mere. This church is a very important building. It is officially listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a special building that needs to be protected because of its history and beauty.

St Michael's is an active Anglican parish church. This means it's a local church for the community, part of the Church of England. It belongs to the diocese of Chester, which is a large area managed by a bishop. The church also works closely with two other churches, St Chad in Tushingham and St Mary in Whitewell.

Church History: A Look Back
- Building Changes Over Time
Church Design: What It Looks Like
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Churchyard Features
See also

Church History: A Look Back

The story of St Michael's Church goes back a long way. In 1299, there was a church on this spot made of timber and a mix of mud and sticks, called wattle and daub. The church building you see today started to take shape in the 1400s. We know this because the first priest for this church was recorded in 1530.

For many years, St Michael's was a smaller chapel connected to a bigger church in Whitchurch. But in 1870, it became its own independent church.

Building Changes Over Time

Over the years, the church has been updated and improved.

In 1822, a famous architect named Sir Jeffry Wyatville added the chancel, which is the part of the church near the altar.
Later, in 1891–92, the church had a big makeover by architects Douglas and Fordham. This was part of a trend called "Victorian restoration." During this time, they added a room for the organ. They also replaced the old plaster ceiling with beautiful carved oak panels and added new oak furniture.
To celebrate the year 2000, a new sundial was placed on the south wall of the church. A sundial is an old way to tell time using the sun's shadow.

Church Design: What It Looks Like

St Michael's Church is built from red sandstone and has a roof made of slate.

Outside the Church

The church has a tower at its west end. It also has a main area called the nave with a clerestory (a row of windows high up). On either side of the nave are north and south aisles. There's also a chancel with a small room called a vestry to the north, and a porch on the south side.

The tower is built in a style called Perpendicular Gothic. It has decorative stone bands called string courses with carvings of animals and flowers. You can also see many gargoyles on the outside of the church. These are stone carvings that act as water spouts, often shaped like funny or scary creatures such as monkeys, twins, and grotesque faces.

Because the soil in the area is sandy, the church tower has slowly been sinking a little. In 1999, it was leaning about 25 inches (64 cm) from being perfectly straight!

Inside the Church

Inside, you'll find some very old and interesting features.

The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is made of wood and has eight sides. It dates back to the 1400s and is the oldest one of its kind in Cheshire. It has special carved panels called crocketed ogee panels.
There's a monument from 1855 dedicated to William H. Poole. It has a fancy Gothic canopy over it.
In the tower, you can see old boards that list charities, including a round one from 1777.
The church has a set of six bells. Four of these bells were made by Rudhall of Gloucester. Three of them are from 1719, and one is from 1790. The other two bells were made by John Warner and Sons in 1864 and 1892.
The church's parish registers, which record births, marriages, and deaths, started in 1538.

Churchyard Features

The area around the church, called the churchyard, also has some notable things.

A schoolhouse was built here in 1688, but it was taken down in 1824.
Today, the churchyard is home to a very old yew tree. Its trunk is hollow and is held together with chains. This tree is thought to be about 1000 years old!
There is also a war grave for a soldier from the Royal Field Artillery who died in World War I.
The lych gate at the entrance to the churchyard is a special memorial to those who died in World War I. It has a message carved into it: "Ye who live on, mid-English pastures green. Remember us and think of what might have been."
Both the lych gate and the sandstone walls around the churchyard are also listed as Grade II historic structures. These walls date back to the 1500s or 1600s.

St Michael's Church, Marbury facts for kids

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