St James' Church is in the village of
Ince,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, England. The church is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II*
listed building.
It is an active
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish church in the
diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Frodsham. Its
benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
is united with that of
St Mary, Thornton-le-Moors.
History
A
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
chapel once stood on this site. The present church was built in the
medieval period but only the tower and part of the
chancel remain from this date.
The chancel is in 14th-century
Decorated style and possesses a three-light Decorated window in its east wall.
The
chancel has a 17th-century oak arch-braced collar roof.
The
Perpendicular tower by Simon Ripley dates from around 1485–93. The chancel roof, though restored, dates from 1671.
The
nave,
aisle and porch were rebuilt in 1854 in Perpendicular style by Edward Hodkinson, and the tower was raised by two courses.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in red
sandstone with a grey
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
roof.
Its plan consists of a west tower, a five-
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
nave with a north aisle, and a chancel with a lower roof.
Interior
The deeply carved altar table is
Jacobean, and the altar rails date from the late 17th century. Also in the chancel is a sanctuary chair of 1634 and a two-tier
candelabrum
A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms.
Although electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers continue to model light fixtures ...
dated 1724.
The
royal coat of arms of
Queen Anne are in the nave.
The communion rail with twisted
baluster
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its cons ...
s dates from the late 17th century. In the chancel are two stained glass windows by
Kempe.
There is a
ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
of three bells, two of which are dated 1622 and 1636. The
parish registers begin in 1687 and the
churchwardens' accounts in 1749.
External features
The sandstone 19th-century churchyard wall is a Grade II listed building. In the churchyard, north west of the tower, is the war grave of a
Royal Navy sailor of
World War II.
See also
*
Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
*
Listed buildings in Ince
References
External links
Photographs by Craig Thornber
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ince, St James' Church
Church of England church buildings in Cheshire
Grade II* listed churches in Cheshire
English Gothic architecture in Cheshire
Gothic Revival architecture in Cheshire
Diocese of Chester