St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover
St Oswald's Church, Lower Peover, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SJ 744 743
Location	Lower Peover, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Oswald, Lower Peover
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	3 January 1967
Architect(s)	Anthony Salvin (restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Tower Gothic, Body Idiosyncratic
Specifications
Materials	Timber framing Sandstone tower
Administration
Parish	Nether Peover
Deanery	Knutsford
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Oswald's Church is a really old and important church located in Lower Peover, a village in Cheshire, England. It's so special that it's officially protected as a Grade I listed building. This means it's one of the most important historical buildings in the country. It's an active Anglican parish church, which is a local church for a community. It belongs to the diocese of Chester.

History of the Church

A drawing of the church as it appeared in the 1840s

People have worshipped at this spot since at least 1269. Back then, it was a small church called a "chapel of ease." This meant it was a handy place for people to worship without having to travel all the way to the main church in Great Budworth.

The tall west tower of the church was built in 1582 by a stonemason named John Bowden. Later, a south chapel was added around 1610, and a north chapel followed in 1624. In 1852, parts of the church, like the aisles, were changed and given new roofs by an architect named Anthony Salvin. The church has also had other updates and repairs since then.

Church Architecture

Outside the Church

The church tower is made from strong Alderley sandstone. The main part of the church is built with timber framing, which means it uses a frame of wooden beams.

The church has a tower at the west end, a main hall called a nave, and a special area for the altar called a chancel. On the sides, there are long walkways called aisles, with chapels at their eastern ends.

The tower has three levels. It has a door on the west side with a two-light window above it. You can see diamond-shaped clock faces on the north, west, and south sides. There are also openings for the bells. The very top of the tower has a crenellated edge, which looks like the top of a castle wall. Each corner has angled supports called buttresses.

Inside the Church

The north chapel is known as the Holford chapel. Today, this area is used for the organ and as a vestry, which is where the clergy get ready. The south chapel is called the Hulme or Grosvenor chapel. At its eastern end, separated by a screen, is the smaller Shakerley chapel.

The aisles are separated from the nave by an arcade. This is a row of arches supported by strong, eight-sided oak piers that are very old, from the Middle Ages. Many of the church benches, called pews, are from the Jacobean period, as is the pulpit where sermons are given.

The round font used for baptisms is very old, but its exact age is unknown. People say it was brought here from Norton Priory in 1322. The screen leading to the Holford chapel is from the early 17th century. Another screen, which separates the chapel from the nave, is dated 1642. The screen for the south chapel is also Jacobean. It has four sections topped with three large round decorations.

Inside the south chapel, there's a huge 13th-century chest made from a single piece of oak. It's about 6 feet (2 m) long and 2 feet (1 m) wide. The church also has two cupboards from 1737. These were used to store bread given to people in need. You can also find memorials inside the church that remember members of the Shakerley, Leicester, and Cholmondeley families. One memorial is for Godfrey Shakerley, who passed away in 1696, and another for Katherine Shakerley, who died in 1725.

The organ in the church has two manuals (keyboards). It was built in 1880 by Alexander Young of Manchester. It was later updated and fixed in 1985. The church keeps parish registers, which are records of births, marriages, and deaths, dating back to 1570. The churchwardens' accounts, which track church finances, start from 1699. The church has a set of six bells that were made by John Warner and Sons in 1912.

Outside the Church Grounds

In the churchyard, there is a sundial from the 18th century. It has an eight-sided pole on square steps. The pole has a square dial on a stone top, and it still has its gnomon, which is the part that casts a shadow to tell the time. This sundial is listed as Grade II, meaning it's also historically important. The lychgate, which is a covered gateway to the churchyard, dates to around 1896 and is also listed as Grade II. The churchyard also contains the war grave of a Royal Navy officer who died during World War II.

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  Sundial

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  Lychgate

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
• Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
• Listed buildings in Nether Peover
• List of church restorations and alterations by Anthony Salvin