St Helen's Church, Tarporley
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| St Helen's Church, Tarporley | |
St Helen's Church, Tarporley |
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  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tarporley, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Leadership | Rev. Canon G Cookson |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | J. Crowther Sir Percy Warrington |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Perpendicular, Gothic Revival |
| Year completed | 1932 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Red sandstone ashlar Slate roof |
St Helen's Church, Tarporley is in the village of Tarporley, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ554625). It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
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[edit] History
The first documentary evidence of a church on this site is in 1287.[2] The earliest parts of the present church are the two chapels which date from the 15th century.[1] The rest of the church has been altered in a series of restorations. In 1785 the west end was rebuilt and two years later the north wall was rebuilt, the interior seating was remodelled and a gallery was added at the west end. Further extensive restorations were undertaken in 1834. The Arderne (north) chapel was remodelled in 1861, the Utkinton (south) chapel in 1865, the tower in 1878 and the nave in 1879,[2] these three restorations being by J. Crowther of Manchester.[1] A baptistry was added to the west end by Sir Percy Warrington in 1931–32.[3] In 1935 the Arderne chapel was provided with a stone altar and renamed All Souls' chapel.[2]
[edit] Structure
The church is built in red sandstone ashlar with a slate roof.[1] The plan of the church consists of a baptistry at the west end, a nave and chancel, north and south aisle with a chapel at the east end of each, a tower at the southwest corner and a south porch.[3] The tower has a small pyramidal spire. The chapels are Perpendicular in style while the rest of the church is Decorated.[1] The nave has four bays with arcades dating from the 15th century, the piers on the north side being octagonal and those on the south side hexagonal.[2]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
The chancel screen has Italian gates which were made in the 16th century and brought from Siena by the Countess of Haddington in 1889. Also in the church are two sanctuary chairs, an old vestment chest and a 15th century octagonal font which spent some years in a farmyard. A collection of Cromwellian helmets and pieces of armour is kept in the church.[2] The stained glass in the west window of the south aisle dated 1899 is by Kempe.[4]
The main monuments are to the Done and Crewe families. In the Utkinton chapel is a large medallion in mezzo-relief to Sir John Done who died in 1617 and a similar monument to John Crewe who died in 1670. In the north chapel is the monument to Sir John Crewe who died in 1711 with his semi-recumbent effigy in a flowing robe and weeping cherubs at his head and feet. The finest memorial is the altar tomb in the chancel to Jane Done who died in 1662, Mary Crewe who died in 1690 and her granddaughter Mary Knightley who died as a child in 1674. The three figures are in white marble on a black base, the adults recumbent and the child standing holding flowers.[2] Also in the church is a memorial board believed to have been painted by a member of the Randle Holme family of Chester.[5] The church plate includes a silver chalice, a silver-gilt flagon and a silver paten which are all dated 1711. The parish registers start in 1558 and the churchwardens' accounts are almost complete from 1662. The ring of six bells was recast in 1878 and again in 1930.[2]
[edit] External features
In the churchyard is a red sandstone cross base and shaft from the 15th or 16th century which is listed Grade II.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Images of England: Church of St Helen, Tarporley. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: Batsford, 317–321.
- ^ a b Salter, Mark (1995). The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire. Malvern: Folly Publications, 72–73. ISBN 1871731232.
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Edward Hubbard [1971] (2003). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 350–351. ISBN 0 300 09588 0.
- ^ Hess, John P. (2007–2008). "Backford's Memorial Boards: were they painted by a Randle Holme?". Cheshire History 47: 34–39. ISSN 0141-8696.
- ^ Images of England: Cross base and shaft. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
[edit] External links
- Thornber, Craig (2001 & 2004). A Scrapbook of Cheshire Antiquities: Tarporley.
