Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley
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| Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley | |
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley |
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  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bosley, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | James Green |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Red sandstone tower Brick nave and chancel Slate roofs |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley is in the village of Bosley, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ918655). It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
This church was initially a chapel of ease to the parish church of Prestbury and was dedicated to St Thomas the Martyr. Later the dedication was changed to St Lawrence and later again to St Mary the Virgin. In response to a petition by the parishioners a papal bull was issued by Pope Boniface IX in 1402 granting the church greater independence.[2]
The church was originally a timber framed church with a stone tower.[2] The red sandstone tower dates from about 1500.[1] In 1777 the church, apart from the tower, was rebuilt in brick.[2] A chancel designed by James Green was added in 1834.[1] In 1878–79 new bells were installed, the tower was raised by 6 feet (2 m) and some of the original medieval stonework was removed.[2]
[edit] Structure
The tower is built of red sandstone, the nave and chancel of bricks, with roofs of large grey slates. The tower has three stages with a 19th century west door in a medieval arch, above which is a window with two lights. The top of the tower is battlemented. The plan of the body of the church consists of a four-bay nave and a one-bay chancel, and a lean-to vestry to the north of the tower.[1]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
In the church is a late 18th century altar table, a 17th century oak pulpit, sanctuary chairs from the same period and a parish chest dating probably from the 16th century.[2] The organ is dated 1879 and the stone font is also from the 19th century. In the church is a monument to John William Nowell, railway engineer who died in 1851.[1] Some of the glass is modern, including the Handel window installed in 1968.[3] The ring is of six bells, the oldest bell being dated 1663. The parish registers begin in 1728.[2]
[edit] External features
In the church yard is a sundial (with the gnomon missing) dating probably from the early 19th century. It consists of a copper dial on a short tapered square gritstone shaft with a square head standing on a weathered red sandstone base. Churchwarden's initials are engraved on the dial. It is listed Grade II.[4]
[edit] See also
- Thornber, Craig (2003-09-17). A Scrapbook of Cheshire Antiquities: Bosley.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Images of England: Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
- ^ a b c d e f Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: Batsford, 63–64.
- ^ Morant, Roland W. (1989). Cheshire Churches. Birkenhead: Countyvise, 112–3. ISBN 0 907768 18 0.
- ^ Images of England: Sundial and shaft. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
