St Mary's is a
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
church in
Chirk
Chirk () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the historic counties of Wales, traditional coun ...
,
Wrexham County Borough
Wrexham County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough, with city status in the United Kingdom, city status, in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire and Shropshire to ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. It stands at the south end of the main street of Chirk, within its own graveyard, on the northern edge of the valley of the Afon Ceiriog.
The parish is in the
Mission Area of Offa
Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to:
Geography Australia
*Mission River (Queensland)
Canada
*Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality
*Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood
* O ...
in the
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.
The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese of the Church in Wales in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.
Geography
The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Cheste ...
. The church is listed on the National Monuments Record of Wales.
History
The original church, which had a similar footprint to that of the present building, was begun during the 11th century by the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
, although it is believed that an older ''llan'', dedicated to
St Tysilio, had existed on the site.
In 1519, William Edwards of New Hall extended the building by adding a nave. The tower was added to the west bay. It saw additional repairs and alterations in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. In 1828-9 the interior was remodelled, and alterations were made to the furnishings in 1877.
Exterior
The church is constructed of sandstone with later buttresses. All but one of the windows are post-Norman. A 20th century stone extension is attached to the north end of the church, serving as a meeting hall.
The slate roof is supported by 15th century trusses.
Interior
The walls and the roof (below the rafters) are plastered. There are three floor levels from the nave to the altar. There are carvings of animals and knights on some trusses. There is a considerable number of monuments and furnishings ranging from the 17th to 19th centuries. Most window glass is 19th or 20th century. The tower contains a ring of six bells, dated 1803 by Rudhall of Gloucester.
See also
*
Grade I listed buildings in Wrexham County Borough
In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of ex ...
References
External links
Church websiteFurther historical information and links on GENUKI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chirk, Saint Mary's Church
Grade I listed churches in Wrexham County Borough
Church in Wales church buildings in Wrexham County Borough
Saint Mary's Church