All Saints Church, Marple

All Saints Church is in Church Lane, Marple, Greater Manchester, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[1] In the churchyard is the tower of an earlier church, which is also listed at Grade II.[2] The church is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Chadkirk.[3]

All Saints Church, Marple
All Saints Church, Marple
All Saints Church, Marple is located in Greater Manchester
All Saints Church, Marple
All Saints Church, Marple
Location in Greater Manchester
53°23′18″N 2°03′34″W / 53.3883°N 2.0594°W / 53.3883; -2.0594
OS grid referenceSJ 962 878
LocationChurch Lane, Marple,
Greater Manchester
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteAll Saints, Marple
History
StatusParish church
DedicationAll Saints
Consecrated30 June 1880
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II
Designated11 October 1985
Architect(s)J. Medland Taylor and
Henry Taylor
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Completed1880
Construction cost£6,056
Specifications
MaterialsStone, tiled roof
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseChester
ArchdeaconryMacclesfield
DeaneryChadkirk
ParishMarple, All Saints
Clergy
Vicar(s)Rev Daniel Currie
Laity
Parish administratorDavid Waterston

History

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The first church on the site was a small timber-framed building erected in the second half of the 16th century.[4] The first recorded service took place in 1588.[5] In 1803 the building was in a ruinous condition and it was decided that a new church should be built. In 1808 Robert Goldsmith was appointed as architect and the church was completed in 1811 at a cost of £4,000 (equivalent to £370,000 in 2023).[6] A major financial contributor to the building of the church was Samuel Oldknow, a local cotton manufacturer. In 1816 a peal of bells arrived and in 1826 an organ was installed. By the 1870s the church was too small for the congregation and the building was unsuitable for expansion so it was decided that a new church should be built.[7] The new church was built 30 metres (98 ft) to the south of the old church.[5] J. Medland Taylor and Henry Taylor were appointed as architects and the church cost £6,056 (equivalent to £760,000 in 2023).[6] It was consecrated on 30 June 1880. In the following years some services were still held in the old church but its condition deteriorated and by 1964 it was considered to be dangerous and (save its tower) it was demolished. The tower was strengthened and the bells re-hung in it, making it a free-standing bell-tower.[7]

Architecture

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Tower

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The separate tower is in four stages with string courses between the stages. At the west is a door with a rusticated surround and a two-light window. In the third stage is a clock face. Above this are lancet bell openings. The parapet has plain pilasters and square pinnacles.[2]

Inside the tower are memorials. Pevsner considers that the best is a tablet by John Flaxman in memory of Rev. Kelsall Prescot, who died in 1823, showing him standing and instructing boys. The monument to Samuel Oldknow, who died in 1828, is by Francis Legatt Chantrey, but Pevsner considers it to be disappointing. A monument to Elizabeth Isherwood, who died in 1835, is by Manning and shows a woman kneeling by an urn. Other monuments are to Nathaniel Wright who died in 1818, showing a cherub with an extinguished torch, and to John Clayton who died in 1848 and shows a standing woman with a lamp and a torch.[8]

There is a ring of eight bells. Six of these, which came from Stockport parish church in 1816, were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester in 1731. The other two bells are by John Taylor and Company and are dated 1963.[4][9]

Church

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The church is built in stone with a patterned tiled roof. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and a two-bay chancel. At the east end is a five-light window and at the west end is a rose window.[1]

In the church the chandelier and font were removed from the old church. Also in the church are memorials to the Bradshaw-Isherwood family.[5] The organ was built by Conacher and Wadsworth[10] and extended by Walker in 1972.[11] The parish registers date from 1655.[4]

External features

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The lych gate dated 1893 is listed at Grade II.[12] Also listed at Grade II are a stable and coach house from the early 19th century erected for the use of the owner of Marple Hall when visiting the church,[13] and the adjacent hearse house, also dating from the early 19th century.[14]

The churchyard contains the war graves of nine soldiers of World War I and two soldiers and two airmen of World War II.[15]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Historic England, "New Church of All Saints, Marple (1260309)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 5 August 2012
  2. ^ a b Historic England, "Remains of Church of All Saints, Marple (1241882)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 5 August 2012
  3. ^ All Saints, Marple, Church of England, archived from the original on 14 August 2011, retrieved 10 September 2009
  4. ^ a b c Richards, Raymond (1947), Old Cheshire Churches, London: Batsford, pp. 228–229
  5. ^ a b c History of All Saints', All Saints' Church, Marple, archived from the original on 24 March 2012, retrieved 18 December 2007
  6. ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b Hague, J. E. (1980), All Saints, Marple Building Centenary 1880–1980 (PDF), All Saints' Church, Marple, retrieved 18 December 2007
  8. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Hubbard, Edward (2003) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 276, ISBN 0-300-09588-0
  9. ^ Marple All Saints, Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers, retrieved 11 August 2008
  10. ^ Marple All Saints (N01936), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 11 August 2008
  11. ^ Marple All Saints (J00082), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 11 August 2008
  12. ^ Historic England, "Lychgate to Church of All Saints, Marple (1241863)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 5 August 2012
  13. ^ Historic England, "Stabling northwest of tower of All Saints Church, Marple (1241863)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 5 August 2012
  14. ^ Historic England, "Hearse House northwest of tower of All Saints Church, Marple (1260259)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 5 August 2012
  15. ^ Marple (All Saints) Churchyard, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 5 February 2013