St Michael's Church is the
Church of England parish church of
Shotwick ,
Cheshire , England. It a
Grade I listed building . It has a
Norman doorway but most of the church is
Gothic . Its furniture includes some ancient items. In the churchyard are several structures that are Grade II listed. The church is an active
parish church in the
Diocese of Chester , the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral South. Its
benefice is combined with that of
St Nicholas, Burton .
History
A church was in existence at the time of the Domesday Book and was largely rebuilt in the 14th century. Restorations were carried out in 1851 and in the 1970s. The parish registers date from 1698.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built of New Red Sandstone . The chancel and porch are roofed with Welsh slate and the rest of the roof is covered in purple tiles. The south doorway is Norman , decorated with chevrons but rather obscured by a porch of later date. The porch contains stone benches and on its walls are knife-sharpening slots. The tower is Perpendicular in style, and dates from around 1500. The plan of the church consists of a tower at the west end in line with a nave of four bays and a chancel of three bays. There is a north aisle with a chapel at the west end extending as far as the chancel.
Interior
All the pews are box pews and are the oldest in Wirral ; at one time their doors were fitted with locks and keys. In the north aisle is a canopied churchwardens ' pew dated 1709 and a three-decker pulpit . The altar rails date from the late 17th or early 18th century and the lectern from the late 18th century. It has been said that much of this wooden furniture was moved from a church in Chester in 1812. Some of the windows contain 14th-century stained glass. The brass chandelier dates from the late 18th century.
The tower has a ring of six bells. William Clibury of Wellington, Shropshire , cast the tenor bell in 1616 and the fifth bell in 1621. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the other four bells including the treble in 1938.
External features
In the churchyard the gates, gatepiers and churchyard wall along north side of Shotwick Lane are Grade II listed structures. Also listed Grade II are the red sandstone sundial consisting of a tall bulbous baluster on square base dated 1720, and the tombchests of James Phillips, John Nevett Bennett, Rev M. Reay and four children, Robert and Martha Ellison, William Briscoe (died 1704) and others, and William Briscoe (died 1723) and others. In the northwest part of the churchyard are the war graves of nine Royal Air Force officers of World War I .
See also
References
^ Historic England . "Church of St Michael (Grade I) (1145903)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Archbishops' Council . "St Michael, Shotwick" . A Church Near You . Church of England . Retrieved 26 September 2009 .
^ Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches . London: Batsford. pp. 296–303. OCLC 719918 .
^ Thornber, Craig (2005). "Shotwick" . A Scrapbook of Cheshire Antiquities . Retrieved 31 July 2007 .
^ "St Michael, Shotwick, Cheshire" . Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2010 .
^ Salter, Mark (1995). The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire . Malvern: Folly Publications. pp. 68–69. ISBN 1-871731-23-2 .
^ "Shotwick, St Michael" . Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi. Retrieved 2 January 2011 .
^ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward ; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971]. Cheshire . The Buildings of England . New Haven, London: Yale University Press . p. 583. ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6 .
^ Birks, Gordon (10 October 2010). "Shotwick S Michael" . Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers . Central Council of Church Bell Ringers . Retrieved 11 August 2008 .
^ Historic England. "Gates, gatepiers and churchyard wall along north side of Shotwick Lane (1130550)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Sundial in the churchyard of St Michael (1145912)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Tombchest of James Phillips, 2 metres south of the sundial in the Churchyard of St Michael (1130548)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Tombchest of John Nevett Bennett, 5 metres west of south porch of St Michael's Church (1330309)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Tombchest of Rev M Reay and 4 children, 8 metres south of south porch of Church of St Michael (1318880)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Tombchest of Robert And Martha Ellison, 10 metres southwest of south corner of tower of Church of St Michael (1130549)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Tombchest of William Briscoe (died 1704) and others, 5 metres southwest of priest's door to St Michael's Church (1145909)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ Historic England. "Tombchest of William Briscoe (died 1723) and others, 4 metres west of priest's door to St Michael's Church (1130547)" . National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2012 .
^ "Shotwick (St. Michael) Churchyard" . Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Retrieved 3 February 2013 .
Further reading
External links
Churches in Cheshire
St Mary's Church, Acton
Alderley Edge Methodist Church
St Philip's Church, Alderley Edge
St John the Baptist's Church, Aldford
Christ Church, Alsager
St Mary Magdalene's Church, Alsager
St John the Evangelist's Church, Alvanley
St Mark's Church, Antrobus
St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn
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St John the Evangelist's Church, Ashton Hayes
St Mary's Church, Astbury
St Peter's Church, Aston-by-Sutton
Audlem Baptist Church
St James' Church, Audlem
St Oswald's Church, Backford
St Michael's Church, Baddiley
Christ Church, Barnton
St Bartholomew's Church, Barrow
St Bertoline's Church, Barthomley
Holy Trinity Church, Bickerton
St Wenefrede's Church, Bickley
Bollington Methodist Church
St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington
St Oswald's Church, Bollington
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley
St Paul's Church, Boughton
St Oswald's Church, Brereton
Brown Knowl Methodist Church
St Mary's Church, Bruera
St Boniface's Church, Bunbury
St Mary's and St Michael's Church, Burleydam
St Nicholas' Church, Burton
St John's Church, Burwardsley
St John the Evangelist's Church, Byley
Holy Trinity Church, Capenhurst
Holy Trinity Chapel, Capesthorne
St John the Evangelist's Church, Chelford
English Presbyterian Church of Wales, Chester
Chester Cathedral
Christ Church, Chester
Holy Trinity Church, Chester
Northgate Church, Chester
St Andrew's Church, Chester
St Francis' Church, Chester
St John the Baptist's Church, Chester
St Peter's Church, Chester
Church of St Mary-on-the-Hill, Chester
St Michael's Church, Chester
St Nicholas' Chapel, Chester
St Olave's Church, Chester
St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Chester
St Werburgh's Church, Chester
Welsh Presbyterian Church, Chester
Zion Chapel, Chester
St Nicholas' Chapel, Cholmondeley
St James' Church, Christleton
All Saints Church, Church Lawton
St Bartholomew's Church, Church Minshull
St Mary's Church, Coddington
St Mary's Church, Congleton
St Peter's Church, Congleton
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St Barnabas' Church, Crewe
St Mary's Church, Crewe
St Peter's Church, Crewe
Union Street Baptist Church, Crewe
St Michael and All Angels Church, Crewe Green
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St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall
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St John's Church, High Legh
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