St Michael and All Angels Church, Little Leigh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael and All Angels Church, Little Leigh
St Michael and All Angels Church, Little Leigh, from the south
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SJ 615 759
Location	Little Leigh, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Parish of Aston-by-Sutton, Little Leigh & Lower Whitley
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	St Michael
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	18 July 1986
Architect(s)	Edmund Kirby
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1879
Specifications
Materials	Brick with terracotta dressings Welsh slate roof with an orange tile ridge
Administration
Parish	Little Leigh
Deanery	Great Budworth
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Michael and All Angels Church is a beautiful church located in the village of Little Leigh, which is in Cheshire, England. This church is very special because it is listed as a Grade II building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is an important historical building that should be protected.

The church is an active Anglican parish church. It is part of the diocese of Chester. It serves the local community as one of three churches in the area. The other two churches are St Peter, Aston-by-Sutton and St Luke, Lower Whitley.

History of St Michael's Church

The area where the church stands was once part of a larger church area called Great Budworth. Long ago, there was a small chapel in Little Leigh. This chapel was rebuilt in 1712. People at the time described it as a "mean building of brick."

The west side of this old chapel was even used as the village school for many years. A separate school building was finally finished in 1840. The old chapel used to stand where the churchyard is now. The current church building was built in 1879. It was designed by an architect named Edmund Kirby.

Church Design and Look

Outside the Church

St Michael and All Angels Church is built with bright orange bricks. It has special decorative parts made from terracotta. The roof is made of slate tiles from Wales, with a ridge of orange tiles.

The church's shape includes a main area called a nave with four sections. It also has short side sections called transepts. There is a special area for the altar called a chancel. A porch is located on the south side. A tall, pointed tower, called a spire, rises from the center where the nave and transepts meet. The church is built in the Gothic style, which is known for its pointed arches and tall windows.

The sides of the nave have strong supports called buttresses. Between these supports are pairs of tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. The spire is a large, thin tower called a flèche. It has wooden openings for bells on each side. Above these are small windows called lucarnes. At the very top, there is a lead decoration and a weathercock that shows wind direction.

Inside the Church

The inside of the church is also made of brick and terracotta, just like the outside. In the chancel, there is a special bench with three seats called a sedilia. Each seat has a lancet window above it.

Behind the altar, there is a decorative screen called a reredos. This one was made by Jabez Thompson. It shows a scene of the Last Supper made from terracotta. The church also has beautiful stained glass windows. One of these was made in the mid-1900s by an artist named Trena Cox. Experts who wrote the Buildings of England books think the large east window is very impressive.

Other Features Around the Church

Near the church, there is a special gate called a lychgate. It was built in 1882 and is also a Grade II listed building. It has an open wooden frame and a hipped roof made of Lakeland slate.

In the churchyard, you can find two war graves. These are for a soldier and an airman who died during World War II.

See also

• Listed buildings in Little Leigh
• List of works by Edmund Kirby