St Peter's Church, Prestbury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church Prestbury |
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St Peter's Church from the southwest in 2007
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| 53°17′21″N 2°09′01″W / 53.2893°N 2.15025°W | |
| Location | Prestbury, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Mixed |
| Website | St Peter's, Prestbury |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 14 April 1967 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Ashlar buff and pink sandstone, Kerridge stone-slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Macclesfield |
| Archdeaconry | Macclesfield |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
St Peter's Church is a very old church in Prestbury, England. It is likely the fourth church built on this spot. The third church, called the Norman Chapel, is still standing in the churchyard. St Peter's Church is a special building, listed as Grade I, which means it's very important historically. Other parts of the churchyard, like the Norman Chapel and the lychgate (a gate with a roof), are also listed as important buildings. St Peter's is a Church of England parish church, part of the diocese of Chester.
Contents
History of the Church
There is strong proof that a church existed in Prestbury during the Anglo-Saxon era (a long time ago, before 1066). After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the church came under the control of a powerful baron named Hugh Kyvelioc. He gave it to the Abbey of St Werburgh in 1170.
The monks from the Abbey then took down the old Anglo-Saxon church. They built a new one, which is now known as the Norman Chapel. This chapel was used for worship in the large Prestbury area until around 1216.
Around 1220, the monks started building the main part of the current church. Instead of adding the Norman Chapel to the new church, they left it in the churchyard. Later, it was used by the Davenport family for burials and as a private chapel.
Over the next 300 years, the church grew bigger, and its tower was built. When it was a Roman Catholic church, services were held in Latin. There were also many fancy clothes and decorations.
When the monasteries were closed down (the dissolution of the monasteries), the Abbey of St Werburgh stopped existing. The new Diocese of Chester took over Prestbury in 1541. Later, in 1547, Sir Richard Cotton bought the church's rights. In 1580, the Legh family of Adlington Hall took ownership, and they have owned it ever since.
Public worship in Latin ended because of new laws. A pulpit (a raised stand for preaching) was put in place in 1560. The high altar and the rood loft (a screen above the altar) were removed between 1563 and 1572. A movable Communion table was set up instead.
During the Georgian period (1714-1837), the church changed to fit the style of the time. Many pews (church benches) were added in 1707. In 1710, a tall, three-level pulpit was built. A large gallery (a balcony area) was added at the back of the church between 1711 and 1712. A ceiling was put in place in 1719 and decorated in 1720. The north side of the church was rebuilt in 1741–1742.
A major restoration (a big repair and update) happened between 1879 and 1888. This work was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. During this time, the old pews were replaced. The three-level pulpit, the gallery, and the ceiling were all removed. The north side of the church was rebuilt again.
More changes have happened in the 20th and 21st centuries, and the church will likely continue to change over time.
Churchyard Features
The Lychgate, a covered gate at the entrance, was built in 1715. It was moved to its current spot in 1728.
The most special part of the churchyard is the Norman Chapel. It was built between 1175 and 1190. After the current church was built, the chapel started to fall apart. In 1747, Sir William Meredith rebuilt it so his family could be buried there. It was repaired again in 1953 and is now used for various church activities.
Parts of an old Saxon cross were found around 1880. They were built into the church wall. At first, people thought they were from the 7th or 8th century. Now, they are believed to be from the 10th or 11th century. Pieces of the cross have been put back together. They now stand in the churchyard near the Norman Chapel. It is now a protected historical site.
Some yew trees in the churchyard are very old. They date back to the time of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453).
The sundial, used to check the church clock, was made in 1672. It was improved in 1771, but its pointer (gnomon) is now missing.
The Hearse House, used to store a hearse (a vehicle for funerals), was first built in 1728. The current building is from 1852. Today, it is used to store garden tools.
The churchyard also has the graves of twelve soldiers from the Commonwealth. Seven are from World War I and five from World War II.
The Church Building
The main part of the church, called the nave, is about 22 feet wide. The north aisle is 21 feet wide, and the south aisle is 10 feet wide. The chancel (the area around the altar) is 19 feet wide. The south porch is 15 feet square. The tower is 23 feet square with walls that are four feet thick. It stands 72 feet tall.
The main body of the church (the nave and chancel) was built between 1220 and 1230. This was in the Early English style, a type of Gothic architecture. The south aisle and the first north aisle were added in 1310.
The tower and the south porch were built around 1480. These are the only parts of the building that are still mostly in their original form.
The clerestory (the upper part of the nave wall with windows) and the bell-cot (a small structure holding a bell) are from the early 16th century.
In 1612, three of the four 14th-century windows in the south aisle were replaced with square windows.
The north aisle, rebuilt in 1741-42, had five round-headed windows. These looked different from the windows in the south aisle. Two of these round-headed windows survived the big restoration of 1879–1888.
The vestry, a room north of the chancel, was added during the restoration between 1879 and 1888.
Inside the Church
The main west door leads into the West Porch. This porch is a special memorial to those who died in the two World Wars.
Above the porch is the ringers’ gallery, built in 1637. It used to be where the organ was. The church bells are from 1820 and were reshaped in 1968.
Some of the old warden's pews (benches) at the west end of the nave survived the big restoration.
The roof, built in 1675, replaced an older one. The wooden beams are rough because they were not meant to be seen.
The large chandelier in the nave is from 1814. Electric lights replaced gas lights in 1936. Old candle holders are still on the pillars and the south wall.
Paintings above the pillars show the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel. A traveling painter created them in 1719. They were part of the 18th-century ceiling, which was removed during the restoration.
The pulpit is from 1607 and is in the Jacobean style. It was found in 1858 inside the later three-level pulpit. It had replaced an even older pulpit from 1560.
A small piece of stained glass from an early window is now in a lit cabinet. It is near a book that remembers those who died in the World Wars.
In 2001, a new digital organ was put in. At the same time, a raised platform was added for a communion table in the nave.
Chancel
You enter the chancel through a screen. This screen was put up in 1740 for the Legh Chapel. It has had the Hanoverian Royal Arms on it since 1787.
A stone slab built into the north wall is the oldest memorial in the church (1482). It remembers Reginald Legh, who helped build the tower and south porch. This and other slabs were put into the walls when old tombs were removed.
The two-level chandelier in the chancel is from 1712.
The east window, installed in 1915, shows a river and tree of life. This is described in the Bible, in Revelations, chapter 22. It replaced an earlier window from 60 years before.
A 13th-century window on the north side of the chancel is now filled with fake organ pipes.
The main window on the south side of the chancel shows Jesus calling St Peter. It was put in in 1981. Most of the other stained glass in the church is from 1882 to 1896.
North Aisle
The 13th-century font (a basin for baptisms) at the west end of the aisle was reshaped in 1857. The carved heads on it might show monks or lay brothers from the Abbey of St Werburgh.
At the east end of the north aisle is the Legh Chantry Chapel. It is separated by a heavy oak screen.
South Aisle
At the east end of the south aisle is the Tytherington Chantry Chapel. It was created in 1350 and is dedicated to St Nicholas. A 14th-century piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) with a carved head sticks out from the wall.
A small figure of St Nicholas at the top of the east window in the south aisle is from the 14th century. It is the oldest piece of glass in the church.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire East
- Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
- Listed buildings in Prestbury, Cheshire
- Norman architecture in Cheshire
Media
The Village People: life around St. Peter's Church, Prestbury, Cheshire A Granada Television series, spring 2002
