Christ Church, Wharton
Encyclopedia
Christ Church, Wharton, is in the town of Winsford
, Cheshire
, England . It is an active evangelical
Anglican parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich.
built c.1835 at the instigation of John Furnival, a curate of Davenham
. This was the first Anglican religious building in Wharton, and was built to be a challenge to the growth of Methodism in the district.
The chapel was located at Wharton Bridges. Its exact location is unknown, but Wharton Bridges was the original name of the road bridge on Wharton Road, crossing the London and North Western Railway
.
When the parish of Wharton was created in 1843, initially as a district of Davenham
parish (it was not until 10 March 1860 that Wharton became a separate ecclesiastical parish), the Wharton Bridges chapel was replaced by a new chapel of ease
. It was built by James France-France, of Bostock Hall
, Bostock
, on Crook Lane, at its junction with School Road. The new chapel, called Christ's Church, was consecrated on 26 June 1843 by the Bishop of Chester
, John Bird Sumner
. A vicarage was built in 1848, formed from two cottages, at a cost of £673 14s.
During the 1840s the population of Wharton increased by approximately 27 per cent, from 1,400 persons in 1841 to 1,775 persons in 1851, and Christ's Church chapel of ease
was soon considered too small for the parish. With money raised from public subscription, including gifts from Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
the Queen Mother
(mother of Queen Victoria), John Bird Sumner
(the newly-appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
) and grants from the Church Building Societies, the chapel was substantially enlarged with a nave
, chancel
and bell tower
. The old chapel of ease
became the north and south transept
s of the new building (called Christ Church), which provided seating on benches for 350 persons. The cost of the rebuilding was £1,574 10s 7d, and the church was consecrated on 20 December 1849 by the Bishop of Chester
, John Graham
.
In 1913 the chancel
was extended, and the church was reconsecrated on 18 October 1913 by the Bishop of Chester
, Francis Jayne
.
with a red sandstone
facing and a slate
roof. It is a small cruciform
("cross
-shaped") building in the
Gothic Revival (Perpendicular
) style of Christian
church architecture
. At the north-west is a square bell tower
, originally surmounted with four slender pinnacles (removed at some time between 1874 and 1892). The main entrance to the building is at the foot of the tower. A single bell was installed in the bell tower
in the 1849 scheme, but was replaced with eight tubular bell
s prior to 1914, the gift of Mrs Lea of Winsford Lodge, Wharton. The tower clock, made by the Shropshire company of JB Joyce & Co
at a cost of £50 and installed in 1849, was the gift of saltworks proprietor John Dudley of Wharton Lodge, in memory of his wife, Elizabeth (a Latin inscription on the clock face records the gift).
, most notable of which are the east window (to Revd John Lothian, died 1859 after being thrown from his horse), and the west window (to Revd John Samuel Bage, died 1873). The north and south transept
s contain large metal panels overpainted with the Lord's Prayer
, the Creed
, and the Ten Commandments
. The painting is in the Gothic Revival style, and the panels are probably contemporary with the building of the church. The church has had three organ
s. The first, installed in 1849, was replaced by the second organ, c.1874. This was replaced in 1920 by the present organ, the gift of Mrs Marion Newell in memory of her son, Sub-Lt Jack H.M. Newall, killed in action 13 November 1916, on the outskirts of Beaucourt-sur-l'Ancre
, France, during the Battle of the Ancre
. His medals are on display next to the organ. At the west end of the nave
is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
headstone to Senior Aircraftsman Ian Shinner, killed in a Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) shooting at Roermond
, Holland, in 1988. The interior was lit by gas until electric lights were installed in 1937.
, an oak crucifix on a stone base erected in 1920 at a cost of £280. It records the names of 78 Wharton parishioners killed in action during World War I
.
service is held each Wednesday morning. The church employs a children's worker and a youth worker, and supports missionary groups Open Doors
, Gideons International
, and AICMAR (African Institute for Contemporary Mission and Research).
Winsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England . It is an active evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Anglican 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....
in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich.
History
Christ Church, Wharton, traces its origins to an unconsecrated chapel of easeChapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
built c.1835 at the instigation of John Furnival, a curate of Davenham
Davenham
Davenham is a rural village and civil parish approximately south of the town of Northwich, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556 and A533 roads and both the River Dane and...
. This was the first Anglican religious building in Wharton, and was built to be a challenge to the growth of Methodism in the district.
The chapel was located at Wharton Bridges. Its exact location is unknown, but Wharton Bridges was the original name of the road bridge on Wharton Road, crossing the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
.
When the parish of Wharton was created in 1843, initially as a district of Davenham
Davenham
Davenham is a rural village and civil parish approximately south of the town of Northwich, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556 and A533 roads and both the River Dane and...
parish (it was not until 10 March 1860 that Wharton became a separate ecclesiastical parish), the Wharton Bridges chapel was replaced by a new chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
. It was built by James France-France, of Bostock Hall
Bostock Hall
Bostock Hall is a country house to the northeast of Winsford, Cheshire, England. A former Georgian house, it was rebuilt in 1775 for Edward Tomkinson. It is thought that the architect was Samuel Wyatt. Alterations and additions were made to it in the middle of the 19th century and in 1875. ...
, Bostock
Bostock
right|200px|thumb|Map of civil parish of Bostock in the former borough of Vale RoyalBostock is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 229. The village is...
, on Crook Lane, at its junction with School Road. The new chapel, called Christ's Church, was consecrated on 26 June 1843 by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
, John Bird Sumner
John Bird Sumner
John Bird Sumner was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Sumner was the elder brother of Bishop Charles Richard Sumner. He was born at Kenilworth, Warwickshire and educated at Eton College and Cambridge University. In 1802 he became a master at Eton and was...
. A vicarage was built in 1848, formed from two cottages, at a cost of £673 14s.
During the 1840s the population of Wharton increased by approximately 27 per cent, from 1,400 persons in 1841 to 1,775 persons in 1851, and Christ's Church chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
was soon considered too small for the parish. With money raised from public subscription, including gifts from Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
the Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
(mother of Queen Victoria), John Bird Sumner
John Bird Sumner
John Bird Sumner was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Sumner was the elder brother of Bishop Charles Richard Sumner. He was born at Kenilworth, Warwickshire and educated at Eton College and Cambridge University. In 1802 he became a master at Eton and was...
(the newly-appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
) and grants from the Church Building Societies, the chapel was substantially enlarged with a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. The old chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
became the 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 of the new building (called Christ Church), which provided seating on benches for 350 persons. The cost of the rebuilding was £1,574 10s 7d, and the church was consecrated on 20 December 1849 by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
, John Graham
John Graham (bishop)
John Graham was an English churchman and academic. He was master of Christ's College, Cambridge from 1830 to 1848 and Bishop of Chester from 1848 to 1865.-Life:...
.
In 1913 the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was extended, and the church was reconsecrated on 18 October 1913 by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
, Francis Jayne
Francis Jayne
Rev Francis John Jayne , was a British bishop and academic.Born in Pant-y-beiliau, Llanelli, he was educated at Rugby School and Wadham College, Oxford. He took his B.A. in 1868 and M.A. in 1870...
.
Structure
The church is built in brickBrick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
with a red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
facing and a slate
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. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. It is a small 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,...
("cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
-shaped") building in the
Gothic Revival (Perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
) style of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. At the north-west is a square bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, originally surmounted with four slender pinnacles (removed at some time between 1874 and 1892). The main entrance to the building is at the foot of the tower. A single bell was installed in the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
in the 1849 scheme, but was replaced with eight tubular bell
Tubular bell
Tubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
s prior to 1914, the gift of Mrs Lea of Winsford Lodge, Wharton. The tower clock, made by the Shropshire company of JB Joyce & Co
JB Joyce & Co
JB Joyce & Co, clockmakers, were founded in Shropshire in England. The company claim to be the oldest clock manufacturer in the world, originally established in 1690, and has been part of the Smith of Derby Group since 1965...
at a cost of £50 and installed in 1849, was the gift of saltworks proprietor John Dudley of Wharton Lodge, in memory of his wife, Elizabeth (a Latin inscription on the clock face records the gift).
Fittings and furnishings
The church has a number of memorial windows in stained glassStained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, most notable of which are the east window (to Revd John Lothian, died 1859 after being thrown from his horse), and the west window (to Revd John Samuel Bage, died 1873). The 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 contain large metal panels overpainted with the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, the Creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, and the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. The painting is in the Gothic Revival style, and the panels are probably contemporary with the building of the church. The church has had three organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
s. The first, installed in 1849, was replaced by the second organ, c.1874. This was replaced in 1920 by the present organ, the gift of Mrs Marion Newell in memory of her son, Sub-Lt Jack H.M. Newall, killed in action 13 November 1916, on the outskirts of Beaucourt-sur-l'Ancre
Beaucourt-sur-l'Ancre
Beaucourt-sur-l'Ancre is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated south of Arras on the D50 and D163 junction. The Ancre river is little more than a trickle through marshy ground at this point....
, France, during the Battle of the Ancre
Battle of the Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
. His medals are on display next to the organ. At the west end of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
headstone to Senior Aircraftsman Ian Shinner, killed in a Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) shooting at Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, Holland, in 1988. The interior was lit by gas until electric lights were installed in 1937.
External features
On the approach to the main entrance is a war memorialWar memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
, an oak crucifix on a stone base erected in 1920 at a cost of £280. It records the names of 78 Wharton parishioners killed in action during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Today
Christ Church is a growing church with a congregation of more than 250 adults and children. Two services are held on Sunday mornings, and a CommunionCommunion (Christian)
The term communion is derived from Latin communio . The corresponding term in Greek is κοινωνία, which is often translated as "fellowship". In Christianity, the basic meaning of the term communion is an especially close relationship of Christians, as individuals or as a Church, with God and with...
service is held each Wednesday morning. The church employs a children's worker and a youth worker, and supports missionary groups Open Doors
Open Doors
Open Doors is a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians in more than 50 countries where Christianity is socially or legally discouraged or oppressed...
, Gideons International
Gideons International
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 94 languages and 194 countries of the world, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, as an early American parachurch...
, and AICMAR (African Institute for Contemporary Mission and Research).
Clergy in the parish of Christ Church, Wharton
| Minister | Years in office | Office |
|---|---|---|
| William Charles Dudley BA | 1838–1840 | Curate |
| Alleine Rogers | 1840–1843 | Curate |
| John Echlin Armstrong BA | 1843–1845 | Perpetual Curate Perpetual curate A Perpetual Curate was a clergyman of the Church of England officiating as parish priest in a small or sparsely peopled parish or districtAs noted below the term perpetual was not to be understood literally but was used to indicate he was not a curate but the parish priest and of higher... |
| John Lowthian | 1845–1859 | Perpetual Curate (died in office) |
| John Samuel Bage MA | 1859–1873 | Perpetual Curate (died in office) |
| Thomas Davis | 1873–1876 | Perpetual Curate |
| Christopher Cay LL.B. | 1876–1891 | Perpetual Curate |
| Robert Eden Henley MA | 1891–1933 | Vicar (died in office) |
| William Alfred Edwards BA | 1892–1893 | Assistant Curate |
| Eric Medder Baden Southwell MA | 1933–1938 | Vicar |
| Duncan Baird | 1938–1945 | Vicar (Chaplain to the Forces 1940-45) |
| Kenneth Ashworth BA | 1940–1947 | Curate in Charge |
| William Alfred Edwards | 1941 | Assistant Curate |
| Idris Michael Evans | 1941–1946 | Curate in Charge |
| Kenneth Ashworth BA | 1945–1946 | Vicar |
| Thomas David Coleman Harrison | 1947–1952 | Vicar |
| Archibald Sholto Douglas MA | 1952–1955 | Vicar |
| Albert Brooks | 1955–1962 | Vicar |
| Thomas Albert Clarke | 1962 | Vicar (died in office) |
| Walford Oliver | 1962–1972 | Vicar |
| John Leslie Higgins BA M.Ed. | 1972–1974 | Vicar |
| John Alfred Minns | 1974–1985 | Vicar |
| Timothy David Herbert BA M.Phil. | 1985–1993 | Vicar |
| Dennis Tillotson | 1986–1988 | Assistant Curate (died in office) |
| Michael Leslie Eaman | 1989–1993 | Assistant Curate |
| Mark Andrew Pickles BA | 1993–2000 | Vicar |
| Timothy David Hanson BA | 2000- | Vicar |
| Thomas Annesley Watts MA M.Th. | 2008- | Curate |