St Wilfrid's Church, Mobberley
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| St Wilfrid's Church, Mobberley | |
St Wilfrid's Church, Mobberley |
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  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mobberley, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Leadership | Revd Ian Blay, rector |
| Website | St Wilfrid's Parish Church, Mobberley |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | J. S. Crowther |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Year completed | 1888 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Ashlar stone Grey slate roof |
St Wilfrid's Church, Mobberley stands to the north of the village of Mobberley, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ791803). It is a Grade I listed building.[1] Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches.[2] It continues to be an active parish church.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
When the church was undergoing restoration in 1888 remains of a Saxon church were found.[4] The earliest written evidence of a church on the site is in 1206 when Patrick de Mobberley founded an Augustinian priory. This was short-lived as by 1240 it had been annexed to the priory of Rochester in Staffordshire.[5] The oldest part of the present building dates from about 1245. It then consisted of a continuous nave and chancel under one roof, with narrow side aisles, and a detached tower.[4] In 1450 a clerestory and new roof were added and the aisles were widened. The tower was replaced in 1533 when the old one had become ruined.[5] In 1888 the chancel was largely rebuilt by J. S. Crowther and a chancel arch replaced the tympanum. The church has a long association with the Mallory family.[1][4]
[edit] Structure
The church is built in ashlar stone with a grey slate roof.[1] The plan consists of a west tower attached to a four-bay nave with north and south aisles, a chancel with a vestry to the north, and a south porch.[6] The tower is in three stages separated by carved string courses. The summit is embattled.[4]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
The low-pitched nave ceiling has cambered tie beams carried on short corbelled posts at the foot of which are figures of angels.[1] The rood screen dates from about 1500 and is richly carved. Pevsner regards this as the best rood screen in Cheshire.[7] In the chancel are a carved ascending double sedilia and a piscina.[4] Pevsner dates the piscina around 1300.[7] In the south window of the chancel is 14th century stained glass consisting of coats of arms of local families. There are also fragments of old glass in the windows of the south aisle.[8] Over the nave arcades are faded wall paintings where the figure of St Christopher can be recognised[4] and on the north wall is a depiction of St George slaying the dragon.[5] The font has a Victorian bowl on a pedestal which is an inverted Tudor font.[4][5]
At the west end is a ringers' gallery which opens into the church. According to the church's website, the organ was moved from Manchester's Free Trade Hall and had been the property of Sir Charles Hallé.[5] In the church is a memorial window to George Mallory who, with Andrew Irvine lost his life climbing Mount Everest in 1924.[4] The window is by A. K. Nicholson. The church plate includes a cup dated 1571.[7] The ring is of six bells, four of which are dated 1772 and the other two were recast in 1891. The parish registers begin in 1578.
[edit] External features
In the churchyard is a cross base which consists of a massive square sandstone block with a square socket partly occupied by a chamfered square shaft which may have once carried a cross. A sundial plate with a broken gnomon is attached to its top. It is listed Grade II.[9]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d Images of England: Church of St Wilfrid, Mobberley. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ Clifton-Taylor, Alec (1974). English Parish Churches as Work of Art. London: Batsford, 240. ISBN 0 7134 2776 0.
- ^ St Wilfrid's. St Wilfrid's Parish Church, Mobberley. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: Batsford, 237-242.
- ^ a b c d e History. St Wilfrid's Parish Church, Mobberley. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ Salter, Mark (1995). The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire. Malvern: Folly Publications, 52-53. ISBN 1871731232.
- ^ a b c Pevsner, Nikolaus; Edward Hubbard [1971] (2003). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 281–282. ISBN 0 300 09588 0.
- ^ Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi, accessed 5 August 2007
- ^ Images of England: Cross base in churchyard. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
