Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch
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| Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch | |
Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch |
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  Shown within Merseyside
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Woodchurch, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Leadership | Revd. Anne Davis, Rector |
| Website | [1] |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Hubert Worthington |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Year completed | 1965 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roofs with some copper covering |
Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch is in Woodchurch, an area of Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England (grid reference SJ276869). It is a Grade II* listed building.[1] It continues to be an active parish church.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The fabric of the nave originates from the 12th century. In the 14th century the south aisle, chancel and tower were added.[3] The south aisle was rebuilt in the 16th century and a south porch was added. Heavy diagonal buttresses were added to the tower in 1675. The vestry was built in 1766. [4] The north aisle by Hubert Worthington was added in 1964–65.[1]
[edit] Structure
The church is built in stone. The roofs are of slate with copper covering the latest additions to the church. Its plan consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, vestry and south porch. The tower is in two stages, the lower stage being very high. At the northwest and southwest corners of the tower are massive stepped buttresses. To its southeast is a square stair turret. Its top is embattled. In the porch is a shallow piscina[1] and grooves said to be caused by the sharpening of arrows.[3] The windows in the porch contain some medieval stained glass.[5][6] The north wall of the nave is Norman and the chancel inclines to the north.[5] Built into the wall of the chancel is a Saxon wheel cross.[3] The chancel also contains old stained glass.[6]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
On the north wall of the cancel are three 17th century wooden panels containing the coat of arms of local people painted by Randle Holme.[7] The wooden carved bench ends in the chancel date from the 15th century. At the back of the church is a charity board dated 1741.[3] On the west wall are old bread shelves dated 1641 and 1670.[7] On the west wall of the south aisle are the remnants of a Jesse window by Kempe which was damaged by a bomb in 1941 and restored in 1945.[3] The octagonal font dates from the late 15th century and includes carvings of angels and scenes from the Passion. The floor contains some medieval encaustic tiles.[5] The rood screen, designed by Bernard A. Miller and carved by Alan Durst, was added in 1934. The south window of the chancel is by Kempe and is dated 1875. A processional cross dated 1937 was carved in ivory by Alan Durst. In the chancel is a monument by W. Spence to Margaret Hughes who died in 1802.[8] The silver communion plate includes a chalice dated 1625. Parish registers begin in 1571.[5] The ring is of eight bells which is said to be one of the lightest in Britain.[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Images of England: Church of the Holy Cross, Birkenhead. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Holy Cross, Woodchurch. Diocese of Chester. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ a b c d e f About the Church Building. The Church of England. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Salter, Mark (1995). The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire. Malvern: Folly Publications, 81. ISBN 1871731232.
- ^ a b c d Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: Batsford, 364–367.
- ^ a b Woodchurch, Holy Cross. Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) of Great Britain. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b Morant, Roland W. (1989). Cheshire Churches. Birkenhead: Countyvise, 193. ISBN 0 907768 18 0.
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Edward Hubbard [1971] (2003). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 105–106. ISBN 0 300 09588 0.
