St Mary's and St Michael's Church, Burleydam

St Mary's and St Michael's Church, Burleydam
St Mary's and St Michael's Church, Burleydam, from the southwest
St Mary's and St Michael's Church, Burleydam Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 52°58′45″N 2°35′13″W / 52.9791°N 2.5870°W / 52.9791; -2.5870
OS grid reference	SJ 606 426
Location	Burleydam, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Mary and St Michael, Burleydam
History
Founded	1769
Founder(s)	Cottons of Combermere Abbey
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	12 January 1967
Architectural type	Church
Style	Georgian
Groundbreaking	1769
Completed	1886
Specifications
Materials	Brick with slate roof Timber bellcote with lead roof
Administration
Parish	Burleydam
Deanery	Nantwich
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Alison Fulford
Laity
Reader(s)	Elizabeth Gentil, Cynthia Gorton, Ron High
Churchwarden(s)	Susan Harding John Tomlinson

St Mary's and St Michael's Church is in the village of Burleydam in the civil parish of Dodcott cum Wilkesley, Cheshire, England. The church is some 1.5 miles (2 km) to the southeast of Combermere Abbey. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[1] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Nantwich. Its benefice is combined with those of St Michael, Baddiley, and St Margaret, Wrenbury.^[2]

History

The church was built in 1769 at the expense of the Cottons of Combermere Abbey. This church was cruciform in shape and in 1886 two further transepts, a chancel, a new west wall, a northwestern porch and a bellcote were added.^[1] The church was noted by Dr Johnson on his visit to Combermere on 24 July 1774. He describes the church as "neat and plain" with "handsome" communion plate.^[1][3]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in brick with a slate roof. The west aspect has pilaster buttresses on each side on top of which are conical caps and ball finials. In the centre are three arched windows above which is a stone cornice and a gable containing a circular clock face with a stone surround. At the apex of the gable is a cross.^[1] At the date of listing, there was a timber bellcote on the ridge behind the cross, with a lead roof and a weather-cock on the summit; the bellcote became unsafe and was removed in 1992.^[1][4] The north aspect has a porch to the right with a round arch to the door above which is a carving of Saint George slaying the dragon. To the left are the transept and chancel with arched windows. The south aspect is similar but without a porch. The east aspect has a triple round-headed window and pilaster buttresses similar to those on the west aspect.^[1]

Interior

In the church is a monument to Viscount Combermere who died in 1865. It consists of a bust under a Gothic arch. The stained glass in the east window is by Kempe and is dated 1908.^[5] The two-manual organ was built by Peter Conacher of Huddersfield.^[6]

External features

The cast iron railings, piers and gates at the entry to the churchyard date from the early 18th century are listed Grade II. They were brought from Llewenny and were also noted by Dr Johnson, who describes them as "of great elegance."^[3][7]

See also

• Listed buildings in Dodcott cum Wilkesley

References