Christ Church, Rossett
Encyclopedia
Christ Church, Rossett, is in Chester Road, Rossett
, Wrexham County Borough, Wales
. It is a Grade II listed building. Christ Church is an active Anglican church in the deanery of Gresford, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
. It is the parish church
of the parish of Rossett with Holt & Isycoed.
style. Its plan is cruciform
with a central tower over the choir at the crossing. It has a five-bay nave with a north aisle, a short chancel, north and south transept
s and a south porch. The south transept is used as the vestry and the north transept contains a small chapel. The tower has buttress
es on the north and south sides only which are in line with the east and west faces, and there are similar butresses at the east end of the church. The clock face is on the east wall of the tower and on the other sides of the tower are three-light louvred
bell openings. The top of the tower is crenellated with a pinnacle
surmounted by a crocket
ted finial
at each corner. The windows have Perpendicular tracery
. The porch is gable
d, with a canopied
niche
above the doorway, and side buttresses. The niche contains a statue of Christ the Shepherd. The east window has seven lights. At the angle of the south nave and the south transept is an attached stair-turret.
Internally, the arcade
between the nave and the aisle has octagonal piers
. The wooden furnishings, including the reredos
, the stalls, the pews and the organ case were designed by Douglas. The stained glass in the east window (1905), and in the easternmost window on the south wall of the nave (1904) is by Kempe
. The north window in the chancel has stained glass designed and made by Morris & Co.
(1907) and in the north transept is glass dating from the late 1920s by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
.
The architectural writer Goodhart-Rendel
commented about the church: "Inside and out this building has real charm, and is beautifully thorough in detail".
Rossett
Rossett is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.At the time of the 2001 Census, Rossett community had a total population of 3,336 people.-Geography:Rossett is geographically located near to the Welsh and English...
, Wrexham County Borough, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is a Grade II listed building. Christ Church is an active Anglican church in the deanery of Gresford, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese 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 Chester in the east, to the Conwy valley in the west, to Bala in the south-west, and...
. It is the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of the parish of Rossett with Holt & Isycoed.
History
The first church on the site was built in 1841. The present church had been designed in 1886 but it was not built until 1891–92. It cost over £3,677 (£ today); the major donor was John Townsend of Trevalyn House, and £2,861 (£ today) was raised by public subscription. A clock was added in 1902.Architecture
The church is built of stone with a green slate roof in Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. Its plan is cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
with a central tower over the choir at the crossing. It has a five-bay nave with a north aisle, a short chancel, north and south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s and a south porch. The south transept is used as the vestry and the north transept contains a small chapel. The tower has buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es on the north and south sides only which are in line with the east and west faces, and there are similar butresses at the east end of the church. The clock face is on the east wall of the tower and on the other sides of the tower are three-light louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
bell openings. The top of the tower is crenellated with a pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
surmounted by a crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ted finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
at each corner. The windows have Perpendicular tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. The porch is gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d, with a canopied
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
above the doorway, and side buttresses. The niche contains a statue of Christ the Shepherd. The east window has seven lights. At the angle of the south nave and the south transept is an attached stair-turret.
Internally, the arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
between the nave and the aisle has octagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. The wooden furnishings, including the reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
, the stalls, the pews and the organ case were designed by Douglas. The stained glass in the east window (1905), and in the easternmost window on the south wall of the nave (1904) is by Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. The north window in the chancel has stained glass designed and made by Morris & Co.
Morris & Co.
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. and its successor Morris & Co. were furnishings and decorative arts manufacturers and retailers founded by the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris...
(1907) and in the north transept is glass dating from the late 1920s by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne is the name of an English firm who produced stained glass windows from 1855 onwards.-History:Clement Heaton originally founded his own stained glass firm in 1852, joined by James Butler in 1855. Between 1859-61 they worked alongside Clayton and Bell and were joined by...
.
The architectural writer Goodhart-Rendel
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel was an English architect and writer, also a musician.-Life:He was educated at Eton College, and read music at Trinity College, Cambridge. He worked shortly for Sir Charles Nicholson, and then set up his own architectural practice...
commented about the church: "Inside and out this building has real charm, and is beautifully thorough in detail".