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Latitude: 53.1829 / 53°10'58"N
Longitude: -2.8889 / 2°53'20"W
OS Eastings: 340692
OS Northings: 365462
OS Grid: SJ406654
Mapcode National: GBR 7B.3DRK
Mapcode Global: WH88F.L8J7
Plus Code: 9C5V54M6+5C
Entry Name: Church of St Marys
Listing Date: 10 January 1972
Last Amended: 23 July 1998
Grade: II*
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1375848
English Heritage Legacy ID: 469827
ID on this website: 101375848
Location: St Mary without-the-Walls Church, Handbridge, Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire, CH4
County: Cheshire West and Chester
Electoral Ward/Division: Handbridge Park
Parish: Non Civil Parish
Built-Up Area: Chester
Traditional County: Cheshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cheshire
Church of England Parish: Chester St Mary without the Walls
Church of England Diocese: Chester
Tagged with: Church building Gothic Revival
CHESTER CITY (EM)
SJ4065 HANDBRIDGE
1932-1/8/168 (North West side)
10/01/72 Church of St Mary's
(Formerly Listed as:
OVERLEIGH ROAD
Parish Church of St Mary
Without-the-Walls)
GV II*
Parish church. 1885-87. By FB Wade at the expense of the first
Duke of Westminster. Squared snecked red sandstone with steep
Westmorland green slate roofs.
PLAN: west tower and spire; 5-bay aisled nave; south-east
chapel; 3-bay presbytery; organ chamber and loft and vestry; 2
south porches and north porch.
EXTERIOR: 3-stage tower with recessed octagonal spire: angle
buttresses; canted baptistry with 3 lancets and hipped stone
roof on west face; rose window; lancet with blank lancet to
each side on north, west and south faces; clock-faces to
north, west and south flanked by blank trefoils; paired
louvred lancets as bell-openings on each face; machicolated
parapet; 2 pinnacles diagonally-set at each corner; lucarne to
each cardinal face of spire; weathervane; a 2-light window
with plate tracery to west end of each aisle. Gabled porch on
south face of tower added by PH Lockwood 1914 has boarded
double doors of oak on ornate wrought-iron hinges. South aisle
with triple lancets to each bay; gabled south-east porch with
trefoil window to west and boarded door on ornate hinges; 5
triple cusped lancets in recessed arched panels to clerestory
of nave; gutter on corbel-table. Pair of south gables to
south-east chapel, each with a pair of lancets with trefoil
above; 3-bay chancel clerestory has pairs of cusped lancets
surmounted by trefoils; 3 cinquefoil windows to east end of
chapel. East window of 3 lancets and 3 trefoils under moulded
arch, with a lancet and trefoil to each side. 2 lancets and
trefoils to east bay of north aisle; dual lancets to vestry
and, above, to east end of organ loft; north side of vestry
has gable chimney with dual lancet to each side. North porch
in corner with vestry has rainwater head dated 1886; boarded
oak door on ornate wrought-iron hinges; 4 triple lancets to
north aisle; 5 triple cusped lancets to clerestory. All bays
of the church have stepped buttresses gabled at the top.
INTERIOR: apsidal baptistry in tower has pillared stone font
with oak cover; fine encaustic tiled floor; glass including
Christ's baptism 1887 by Edward Frampton. Tower floor of
encaustic tiles; portrait memorial tablet to Hugh Lupus first
Duke of Westminster 1900; leaded oak glazed inner doors from
porch; full-height tower arch; double half-column west
responds and 4 concave-faced octagonal columns to each nave
arcade; half-octagon east responds; armorial glass in aisle
and clerestory windows; tall chancel arch with triple-shaft
responds; wood-block nave floor; 3 steps up to chancel; mosaic
floor; oak reading desk; oak pulpit with wrought-iron rail to
steps; wrought-iron screen to south-east chapel; bay-shafts;
stained glass clerestory, south; triforium to organ-loft,
north; sedilia, stepping up eastward; height of sanctuary
emphasised by tall shafts; altar rail of oak and wrought-iron;
excellent reredos by Frederic Shields and Clement Heaton,
centre-piece c1887, wings 1896; east window of Crucifixion,
probably by Frampton.
The south-east chapel has double cross-vaults of timber,
richly coloured glass in east cinquefoil windows.
A satisfying interior in proportions, spatial organisation,
detailing and liturgical furnishing.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Hubbard E: Cheshire:
Harmondsworth: 1971-: 174; Parochial Church Council, St Mary,
Handbridge: Correspondence with PH Lockwood: 1913-1914).
Listing NGR: SJ4069265462
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
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