St Elphin's Church, Warrington

St Elphin's Church, Warrington

St Elphin's Church, Warrington
St Elphin's Church, Warrington
Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°23′28″N 2°34′48″W / 53.3910°N 2.5799°W / 53.3910; -2.5799
OS grid reference SJ 616,885
Location Warrington, Cheshire
Country England
Denomination Anglican
Website St Elphin, Warrington
Architecture
Status Parish church
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated 6 December 1949
Architect(s) Frederick Francis and Horace Francis
Architectural type Church
Style Gothic, Gothic Revival
Completed 1867
Specifications
Number of spires 1
Spire height 281 feet (86 m)
Administration
Parish Warrington
Deanery Warrington
Archdeaconry Warrington
Diocese Liverpool
Province York
Clergy
Rector Revd. Paul D Wilson

St Elphin's Church is the parish church of the town of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Warrington and the deanery of Warrington.[2]

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 Book. According to tradition the first church was built by Saint Oswald for his companion Elphin, who remained as the first priest there until his death in 679.[3] The earliest fabric in the present 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.[4] Most of the fabric of the present church is the result of an extensive restoration between 1859 and 1867 by Frederick and Horace Francis.[1] 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.[4]

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.[4]

Architecture

Exterior

The plan of the church consists of a wide nave, wide north and south aisles with a chapel at the eastern end of each aisle, a central tower with a tall spire at the crossing, and a chancel.[1]

Interior

In the aisles are galleries containing pews with doors. The reredos dates from 1933 which was further decorated in 1999 by Ronald Sims.[5] The organ screen dated 1908 by William and Segar Owen is very elaborate.[1] 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 by Rushworth & Draper Ltd of Liverpool, at a cost of about £6,000 but is now unused.[6] It has now been replaced with a digital Organ by Phoenix Organs of some 61 speaking stops in 2005. Some of the stained glass in the church is by Pugin.[1] 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 (brother of Peter Rouw), and to Thomas Lyon, who died in 1818, by Webster of Kendal.[5]

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 Ray Easton dated 1947.[5] In St Ann's Chapel are monuments to the Massey and Patten families.[4]

Spire

The church is dominated by its spire, 281 feet (86 m) high. It is

External features

The gateway to the church dates from the 18th century. It consists of two stone rusticated gate piers surmounted by a cornice and urns. 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 at Grade II.[7] Also listed Grade II are the cobbles and the pavement leading to the gateway.[8] The church and its grounds lie within the Church Street Conservation area.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic England, "Church of St Elphin, Warrington (1329734)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 30 October 2013
  2. ↑ St Elphin, Warrington, Church of England, retrieved 30 October 2013
  3. ↑ "Saint Elphin of Warrington". The Tablet. 22 May 1886.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Warrington Parish Church, St Elphin's Church, archived from the original on 23 October 2008, retrieved 30 October 2013
  5. 1 2 3 Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 604–607, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
  6. ↑ Warrington St. Elphin, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 13 August 2008
  7. ↑ Historic England, "Gateway to Church of St Elphin, Warrington (1161378)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 30 October 2013
  8. ↑ Historic England, "Cobbles at entrance to St Elphin's and pavement, Warrington (1139424)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 30 October 2013
  9. ↑ Council, Warrington Borough. "Planning policy documents | Warrington Borough Council". www.warrington.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
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