St Elphin's Church, Warrington
Encyclopedia
St Elphin's Church, Warrington is the parish church
of the town of Warrington
, Cheshire
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Liverpool
, the archdeaconry of Warrington and the deanery of Warrington.
. The earliest fabric in the church is in the chancel
and the crypt, which survive from the church built in 1354 by Sir William Boteler. The church was badly damaged by the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War
. Following this the tower was rebuilt in 1696 and the nave
in 1770. The south aisle
was added in the early 19th century. Most of the fabric of the present church is the result of an extensive restoration
between 1859 and 1867 by Frederick and Horace Francis. It was during this restoration that the spire was added. The bells were recast in 1698 and again in 1884. In 1950 they were recast again and the clock was replaced.
Within the church, St Ann's Chapel was founded by Thomas Massey, rector of Warrington from 1448 to 1464. It continued to belong to the Massey family until they died out in 1748. The chapel was then acquired by the Patten family who built a vault
to bury members of the family, the last being Lord Winmarleigh
in 1892. The Lady Chapel was founded and endowed by Sir John Boteler in 1290. He and other family members were buried in the chapel. In 1943 it became the chapel of the South Lancashire Regiment and in 1976 the chapel of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment
.
, wide north and south aisle
s with a chapel at the eastern end of each aisle, a central tower with a tall spire at the crossing, and a chancel.
dates from 1933 which was further decorated in 1999 by Ronald Sims
. The organ screen dated 1908 by William and Segar Owen is very elaborate. The pipe organ was built in 1876 by Gray & Davison at a cost of £1,296. Additions were made by the same firm in 1881. It was rebuilt in 1902 by Young and again in 1946 at a cost of about £6,000 but is now unused. Some of the stained glass in the church is by Pugin. This was damaged in the second world war and has been re-set. Other glass is by A. Gibbs. The monuments include tablets to Dr Thomas Percival
, who died in 1804, by H. Rouw, and to Thomas Lyon, who died in 1818, by Webster of Kendal.
The regimental chapel includes a number of ancient monuments. These include an effigy
to Lady Alicia Boteler from the early 14th century and an alabaster
monument to Sir John Boteler who died in 1463 and his wife. The screen is a Boer War
memorial dated 1903 by William and Segar Owen. The stained glass in the chapel is a Second World War memorial by Hugh Easton dated 1947. In St Ann's Chapel are monuments to the Massey and Patten families.
gate piers
surmounted by a cornice
and urn
s. Between these are two iron gates over which is a curved iron arch. To the sides are low stone side walls and small iron side gates for pedestrians. The gateway is listed Grade II. Also listed Grade II are the cobbles
and the pavement leading to the gateway.
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 town of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, 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. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
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 Liverpool
Anglican Diocese of Liverpool
The Diocese of Liverpool is a Church of England diocese based in Liverpool, covering Merseyside north of the River Mersey along with West Lancashire, Wigan in Greater Manchester, Warrington and Widnes in Cheshire...
, the archdeaconry of Warrington and the deanery of Warrington.
Spire
The church is dominated by its spire, 281 feet (86 m) high. It is- the seventh highest in the country,
- the fifth highest parish church in the UK, after the St. Walburge's Church, Preston, St. James Church, LouthSt. James Church, LouthSt. James' Church, Louth is a parish church in the Church of England in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for its tall spire.-History:...
, St Mary RedcliffeSt Mary RedcliffeSt. Mary Redcliffe is an Anglican parish church located in the Redcliffe district of the English port city of Bristol, close to the city centre. Constructed from the 12th to the 15th centuries, the church is a Grade 1 listed building, St...
, and St. Wulfram's Church, GranthamSt. Wulfram's Church, GranthamSt Wulfram's Church, Grantham is a parish church in the Church of England in Grantham in Lincolnshire.In his book, England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins describes St Wulfram's Church as having the finest steeple in England.-Spire:...
History
A place of worship has been present on the site since about 650 and the presence of a priest in Warrington was recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The earliest fabric in the church is in 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...
and the crypt, which survive from the church built in 1354 by Sir William Boteler. The church was badly damaged by the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Following this the tower was rebuilt in 1696 and 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...
in 1770. The south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
was added in the early 19th century. Most of the fabric of the present church is the result of an extensive restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
between 1859 and 1867 by Frederick and Horace Francis. It was during this restoration that the spire was added. The bells were recast in 1698 and again in 1884. In 1950 they were recast again and the clock was replaced.
Within the church, St Ann's Chapel was founded by Thomas Massey, rector of Warrington from 1448 to 1464. It continued to belong to the Massey family until they died out in 1748. The chapel was then acquired by the Patten family who built a vault
Burial vault (tomb)
A burial vault is a structural underground tomb.It is a stone or brick-lined underground space or 'burial' chamber for the interment of a dead body or bodies. They were originally and are still often vaulted and usually have stone slab entrances...
to bury members of the family, the last being Lord Winmarleigh
John Wilson-Patten, 1st Baron Winmarleigh
John Wilson-Patten, 1st Baron Winmarleigh PC was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
in 1892. The Lady Chapel was founded and endowed by Sir John Boteler in 1290. He and other family members were buried in the chapel. In 1943 it became the chapel of the South Lancashire Regiment and in 1976 the chapel of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment
Queen's Lancashire Regiment
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division...
.
Exterior
The plan of the church consists of a wide naveNave
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...
, wide north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s with a chapel at the eastern end of each aisle, a central tower with a tall spire at the crossing, and a chancel.
Interior
In the aisles are galleries containing pews with doors. The reredosReredos
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....
dates from 1933 which was further decorated in 1999 by Ronald Sims
Ronald Sims
Ronald Sims was a distinguished ecclesiastical architect who redesigned many English church interiors. His style combined modernism with a respect for tradition and particularly the arts and crafts movement. He graduated in 1952, when he joined the practice of George Pace, the ecclesiastical...
. The organ screen dated 1908 by William and Segar Owen is very elaborate. The pipe organ was built in 1876 by Gray & Davison at a cost of £1,296. Additions were made by the same firm in 1881. It was rebuilt in 1902 by Young and again in 1946 at a cost of about £6,000 but is now unused. Some of the stained glass in the church is by Pugin. This was damaged in the second world war and has been re-set. Other glass is by A. Gibbs. The monuments include tablets to Dr Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival FRS FRSE FSA was an English physician and author, best known for crafting perhaps the first modern code of medical ethics...
, who died in 1804, by H. Rouw, and to Thomas Lyon, who died in 1818, by Webster of Kendal.
The regimental chapel includes a number of ancient monuments. These include an effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
to Lady Alicia Boteler from the early 14th century and an alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
monument to Sir John Boteler who died in 1463 and his wife. The screen is a Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
memorial dated 1903 by William and Segar Owen. The stained glass in the chapel is a Second World War memorial by Hugh Easton dated 1947. In St Ann's Chapel are monuments to the Massey and Patten families.
External features
The gateway to the church dates from the 18th century. It consists of two stone rusticatedRustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
gate 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...
surmounted by a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
and urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
s. Between these are two iron gates over which is a curved iron arch. To the sides are low stone side walls and small iron side gates for pedestrians. The gateway is listed Grade II. Also listed Grade II are the cobbles
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
and the pavement leading to the gateway.