St Mary's Church stands in an isolated position to the south of the village of
Tilston, Cheshire
Tilston is a village and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the county of Cheshire, England. It is located near the larger towns of Chester to the north, Wrexham to the west and Whitchurch to the south. At ...
, England. The church is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
as a designated Grade II*
listed building
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 ...
.
It is an active
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in the
diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York covering the pre-1974 county of Cheshire and therefore including the Wirral and parts of Stockport, Trafford and Tameside.
History
Ancient diocese
Before the si ...
, the
archdeaconry of Chester
The Archdeacon of Chester is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the diocese of Chester. The area in which she, or he, has statutory duties is the Archdeaconry of Chester – those duties include some pastoral care and disciplinary supervision of t ...
, and the deanery of Malpas. 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 combined with that of
St Edith, Shocklach.
History
An earlier church stood on the site of the present church and there is a list of
rectors dating from 1301. The oldest part of the present church is the tower which dates from the 15th century.
The chapel on the north side is dated 1659 and is known as the Leche Chapel,
or the Stretton Hall Chapel.
Most of the rest of the church, including the
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
,
vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
and
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
roof, was rebuilt by
John Douglas between 1877 and 1879.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in red
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
with a steeply pitched tile roof.
At the west end is the three-stage
embattled
A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...
tower. This has corner
buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es, a west doorway, a west window of three lights, belfry windows of three lights on all sides and ringers' windows, the one on the west face being placed north of the centre. The west door has a
Tudor head. The tower leads into the nave through a fine arch. The original
Elizabethan
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...
roof was dismantled in the 19th-century rebuild, and some of the timbers were used in the chancel roof.
The south door has been blocked off, and entry is through the north porch.
In the north porch is part of a curved beam taken from a gallery which was dismantled in 1879, and which bears the
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
of Peter and Ann Warburton.
The beam is dated 1618.
Interior
The altar rails are dated 1677, and the holy table is from the same period. The octagonal
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
is early
Georgian in style, and it stands on a stone base from a later period.
Most of the glass dates from the 19th century, but some painted
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
glass remains.
There were originally a ring of 4 bells cast in 1672 and 1678, these were recast and augmented to 6 bells
ring
(The) Ring(s) 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
Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV
* ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
, cast in 1924 and installed in 1925 by
John Taylor and Company. The
parish registers date from 1558 but are incomplete. The
churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion, Lutheran Churches or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' mem ...
s' accounts are from 1688.
The clock installed in the tower is dated 1750 and bears a makers mark of "Joseph Smith Chester Fecit" together with the names John Barker and John Jones Churchwardens (See photograph)
External features
In the churchyard is a
sundial
A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...
with an octagonal shaft on the base of an ancient cross. The head is elaborately shaped.
The gates, gate piers and churchyard wall to the west of the church are listed at Grade II. On the west side of the gate
piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
is the date 1687 and the initials "LP" and "LL". On the south side of the posts there are
skull and crossbones
A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originated in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ''memento mori'' on tombstones. ...
symbols and on the east side is the inscription ''
''.
The churchyard also contains the war graves of a soldier of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and another of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
See also
*
Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
*
Listed buildings in Tilston
Tilston is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains 13 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grad ...
*
References
External links
Medieval stained glass information from CVMA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilston, Saint Mary
15th-century church buildings in England
17th-century Church of England church buildings
19th-century Church of England church buildings
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
John Douglas buildings