St Oswald's Church, Worleston

St Oswald's Church, Worleston
St Oswald's Church, Worleston, from the south
St Oswald's Church, Worleston Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°06′26″N 2°31′20″W / 53.1072°N 2.5223°W
OS grid reference	SJ 651 568
Location	Church Road, Worleston, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Oswald, Worleston
History
Dedication	Saint Oswald
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	6 July 1984
Architect(s)	C. Lynam
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1872
Completed	1874
Specifications
Materials	Stone, tile roofs
Administration
Parish	St Oswald, Worleston
Deanery	Nantwich
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Priest(s)	Revd Ann Lawson
Laity
Reader(s)	Isobel Burnley Ann Nicholas
Organist(s)	G. Heap
Churchwarden(s)	M. Alexander Mrs. I. Burnley
Parish administrator	Mr Gordon Flanagan

St Oswald's Church is in Church Road, Worleston, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Nantwich, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. Its benefice is combined with those of St Mary, Acton, St Bartholomew, Church Minshull, and St David, Wettenhall.^[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[2]

History

The foundation stone was laid on 19 September 1872. The church was designed by C. Lynam, an architect from Stoke-on-Trent, and opened in November 1874. It sustained major damage by a fire in December 1997, and has since been rebuilt.^[3]

Architecture

Exterior

St Oswald's is constructed in rubble stone with tiled roofs. Its plan is cruciform, consisting of a two-bay nave with a south porch, north and south transepts, and a two-bay chancel.^[2] Over the crossing is a flèche.^[4] Most of the windows are lancet windows. On the gables of the chancel, nave and transepts are cross finials.^[2]

Interior

Inside the church, three steps lead up from the nave to the chancel, the risers of which bear an inscription. At the top of the steps is a low stone wall surmounted by a brass rail. A further three steps, also with risers baring inscriptions, lead up to the altar. The sanctuary has a mosaic floor.^[2] On the south side of the sanctuary is a sedilia and a piscina. In the south wall of the chancel is a priest's door, and in the north wall a door leads into the vestry.^[3] The circular pulpit is carried on seven shafts. The stone font is cup-shaped on a cruciform base.^[2] The stained glass in the east window is by Kempe, and depicts a crucifix with Saint Mary, Saint John, Saint Oswald, and Saint Werburgh. In the north transept is a memorial window to Baron William Henry Schroder of nearby Rookery Hall. This was made by Morris & Co. and depicts the Good Shepherd and Saint Hubert. In the south transept are windows with depictions of Noah, Abraham, David, and Daniel. The glass in the west window includes images of Hannah with Samuel, and Saint Elizabeth.^[3] The two-manual organ stands on the north wall of the chancel.^[2][5]

See also

• Listed buildings in Aston juxta Mondrum

References

1. St Oswald, Worleston, Church of England, retrieved 27 February 2012
2. Historic England, "The Church of St Oswald, Aston juxta Mondrum (1138654)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 February 2012
3. History, St Oswald's, Worleston, retrieved 27 February 2012
4. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 689, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
5. Cheshire, Worleston, St. Oswald (D06226), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 28 February 2012