Christ Church, Alsager

Christ Church, Alsager
Christ Church, Alsager, west end
Christ Church, Alsager Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°05′52″N 2°19′00″W / 53.0978°N 2.3168°W
OS grid reference	SJ 789 556
Location	Alsager, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Christ Church, Alsager
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	26 March 1987
Architect(s)	Thomas Stringer
Architectural type	Church
Style	Georgian
Groundbreaking	1789
Completed	1790
Specifications
Materials	Ashlar yellow Keuper sandstone
Administration
Parish	Christ Church, Alsager
Deanery	Congleton
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Rev Toby May
Laity
Churchwarden(s)	Saeed Ashtiany, Andrew Smith
Parish administrator	Debbie Preston

Christ Church is in the town of Alsager, Cheshire, England. It 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 Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Congleton.^[2]

History

The church was built in 1789–90 at the expense of three "Ladies of the Manor of Alsager", Mary, Margaret and Judith Alsager, to a design by Thomas Stringer. It was a chapel of ease to St Bertoline's Church, Barthomley, and became a parish church in 1946. To celebrate the centenary of the church a new organ was acquired and dedicated in 1889.^[3]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in ashlar yellow Keuper sandstone in Georgian style. Its plan consists of a west tower, a six-bay nave and a three-bay chancel with an apse. At the sides of the west door are Tuscan demi-columns supporting a frieze and a pediment which has an acroterion block at its top. Above this the tower has a clock stage with a clock face on each side, and a belfry stage with louvred bell-openings on each side. At the top of the tower is a dentilled cornice and a balustrade. The windows at the sides of the church are round-headed.^[1] The bays are separated by giant pilasters.^[4]

Interior

Inside the church is a west gallery carried on Doric columns.^[4] The gallery is panelled, as are the nave and chancel to dado height. In the chancel the panelling is divided by fluted pilasters.^[1] The font is an 18th-century baluster with an octagonal bowl.^[4] The stained glass windows depict the Apostles, and were created by different studios at different times. On the south side of the church is a window depicting Saint Paul by Jones and Willis, dating from 1907, and two from about 1952 by T. F. Wilford. On the north side of the church is a window depicting Saint Luke, dating from 1924. by William Morris of Westminster. On the south side is a window depicting Saint Mark, dating from 1952, attributed to Donald Brook. There are more windows, dating probably from the early 20th century, that are unsigned.^[4] Also in the church are three plaques to the memory of the five "Ladies of the Manor of Alsager".^[5] The parish registers begin in 1789 for baptisms and burials and in 1852 for marriages.^[3] The organ was built by Stringer and Company, and was rebuilt in 1990 by Ward and Smith.^[6] The tower contains a ring of eight bells, hung for change ringing, six of which date to 1893, and the others to 1902, all cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough.^[7]

External features

Outside the church is a pair of gate piers in yellow sandstone by Thomas Stringer dating from around 1790. On top of the piers are vase finials standing on a stepped base. These are listed at Grade II.^[8] The churchyard contains the war graves of eight British servicemen, six from World War I and two from World War II.^[9]

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
• Listed buildings in Alsager

References

1. Historic England, "Church of Christ, Alsager (1138754)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 March 2012
2. Christ Church, Alsager, Church of England, retrieved 27 February 2011
3. Church history, Christ Church Alsager, retrieved 20 January 2008
4. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 96–97, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
5. Morant, Roland W. (1989), Cheshire Churches, Birkenhead: Countyvise, p. 95, ISBN 0-907768-18-0
6. Alsager Christ Church, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 24 April 2009
7. "Alsager, Christ Church", Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers (Central Council for Church Bell Ringers), retrieved 16 July 2008
8. Historic England, "Pair of gatepiers c. 5 yards from the western door of Church of Christ, Alsager (1138755)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 March 2012
9. ALSAGER (CHRIST CHURCH) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 2 February 2013