St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grappenhall, St Wilfrid's Church
St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SJ 638,863
Location	Grappenhall, Warrington, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	St Wilfrid
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	8 January 1970
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin (restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	1874
Specifications
Spire height	About 76 feet (23 m)
Materials	Red sandstone, slate roof
Administration
Parish	Grappenhall
Deanery	Great Budworth
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Wilfrid's Church is a very old church located in Grappenhall, a village in Cheshire, England. It is a parish church, which means it serves the local community. This church is special because it is a Grade I listed building. This means it is considered a very important historical building. St Wilfrid's is an active Anglican church, part of the Church of England.

History of St Wilfrid's Church

Early Beginnings: The Norman Church

The first church here was built a very long time ago. It was started around the early 1100s, during the Norman period. This first church was quite small. It had a main hall called a nave and a special area for the altar called a chancel. There might have also been a rounded end called an apse.

Workers found the old foundations of this first church in 1873. This was during a big project to fix up and improve the church.

Growing Over the Centuries

Over the years, the church grew bigger. In 1334, the Boydell family added a small private chapel. This chapel was built where the south side of the church is now.

In 1529, much of the church was rebuilt using local sandstone. The old church was taken down. A new nave, chancel, and a north aisle (a side section) were built. A tall tower was also added at the west end.

In 1539, the south aisle was added. This section included the Boydell chapel. A porch was built on the south side in 1641. At this time, the west wall was also made stronger.

Victorian Era Changes

In 1833, the roof of the nave was raised. This created a clerestory, which is a row of windows high up to let in more light. In the 1850s, the south aisle was made even longer. A vestry, a room for clergy and church items, was also built.

A very big repair and improvement project happened in 1873–74. This is called a Victorian restoration. Architects named Paley and Austin led this work. They put in new floors and roofs. This big project cost about £4,000 at the time.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

St Wilfrid's Church is built from red sandstone. It has a slate roof. The church has a tall tower at the west end. It also has a long main section that combines the nave and chancel. There are side aisles on both the north and south.

The tower has three levels. It has a special door at the west end from the Tudor period. There are also large windows and smaller ones higher up. Clock faces and openings for bells are in the middle section. The very top of the tower has a crenellated parapet. This means it looks like the top of a castle wall. The tower is about 76 feet (23 meters) tall.

You can see old stone supports called buttresses on the tower. The large window at the east end of the chancel is in the Perpendicular style. This is a type of Gothic architecture. Some windows in the upper part of the church are round-arched. You can even spot some old Norman stone carvings of human heads on the south aisle wall.

Inside the Church

Inside the church, you'll find many interesting historical items. In the east wall of the north aisle, there is a piscina. This was a basin used for washing sacred vessels. There is also a credence table, which held items for the church service.

The church has a holy table from 1641. You can also see the royal coat of arms of Queen Anne. In the chancel, there is a stone statue, called an effigy, of Sir William Boydell. He died in 1275. This statue was moved inside and fixed up in 1874.

The reredos, a decorated screen behind the altar, is carved from oak. It shows a scene based on The Last Supper. The font, used for baptisms, is very old. It might even be from the Norman era or earlier. It was found again in 1873 during the church's restoration.

Some windows in the south aisle have very old glass from the 1300s. This glass was rearranged in 1834 and shows seven saints. Other windows in the aisle were made by Meyer of Munich. There are also small pieces of medieval glass in other parts of the church.

The church has a set of ten bells that can be rung. Two older bells were made around 1700. The ten active bells were put in place in 2019. They were made by John Taylor & Co. The church's parish registers, which record births, marriages, and deaths, go all the way back to 1573.

Outside the Church Grounds

Sandstone carving of 'Cheshire Cat'

Just outside the church, below a west window, there is a stone carving of a cat. Some people think this carving might be the inspiration for the famous Cheshire cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

In the churchyard, there is a sundial from 1714. It is also a Grade II listed item. Near the entrance to the churchyard, you can see a set of stocks. These were used in the past to hold people as a form of punishment. Their stone ends are likely from the 1600s. The churchyard also has five war graves for British service members. Two are from World War I and three are from World War II.

Music at St Wilfrid's

The church hosts a series of classical music concerts called Live at St Wilfrid's. These concerts feature both new, young artists and famous performers from around the world.

See also

• Grade I and II* listed buildings in Warrington
• Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
• Norman architecture in Cheshire
• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin