St Mary Magdalene's Church, Alsager

St Mary Magdalene's Church, Alsager
Southern aspect (2015)
St Mary Magdalene's Church, Alsager Location in Cheshire
53°05′46″N2°18′26″W / 53.0961°N 2.3071°W / 53.0961; -2.3071
OS grid reference	SJ 795,555
Location	Crewe Road, Alsager, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Mary, Alsager
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Mary Magdalene
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	26 March 1987
Architect(s)	Hubert Austin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1894
Completed	1937
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tiled roofs
Administration
Province	York
Diocese	Chester
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Deanery	Congleton
Parish	St Mary Magdalene, Alsager
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Michelle Goodrich
Assistant priest(s)	Revd Graham Joyce & Fr John Gleaves
Curate(s)	Revd Jim Britcliffe
Laity
Reader(s)	Anne Joyce
Churchwarden(s)	Oliver Worrall

St Mary Magdalene's Church is in Crewe Road, Alsager, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Congleton, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. ^[1] Dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene, it is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. ^[2]

History

The church replaced a "tin tabernacle" that was sold for £150 and moved to Hassall Green, where it survives as St Philip's Church. ^[3] The new building was constructed between 1894 and 1896 by the Lancaster firm of architects, Austin and Paley, the church having been designed in 1884 by Hubert Austin. At this time only the east bay of the north aisle was built. ^{[4] [5]} The aisle was completed in 1936–37, at which time the architect was Henry Paley. ^{[4] [6]} It had been planned for the tower, which rises only to the height of the nave, to be higher and for a spire to be added, but this was never achieved. ^{[2] [7]}

Architecture

Exterior

St Mary's is constructed in red sandstone with tiled roofs. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a north and south porch, a chancel with an organ loft and vestry to the southeast, and a west tower. The tower has diagonal buttresses, and a semi-octagonal stair turret to the south. On its west side is a four-light window. On the south side of the church is a porch with a statue of Mary Magdalene above the doorway. To the right of this are five windows, one with two lights, the others with three lights, all containing Decorated-style tracery. Along the clerestory are five two-light windows. The windows on the north side of the church are similar, but those along the aisle all have three lights. On the south wall of the chancel are three two-light windows. The east window has six lights. ^[2]

Interior

Between the nave and the aisle are five-bay arcades carried on elliptical piers. On the north side of the chancel is a two-bay arcade. In the south wall of the chancel are a sedilia and a piscina. The reredos and chancel screen date from 1926. The font is square with chamfered corners. ^[2] The stained glass includes windows from the early 20th century designed by G. P. Hutchinson for Powells, a window by Karl Parsons dated 1926 depicting Saint Michael and Gabriel, and two windows by Heaton, Butler and Bayne dating from about 1915 and from about 1920. ^[4] The three-manual organ was built in 1905 by Steele and Keay, with alterations by Rushworth and Dreaper in 1945, and by Ward and Shutt in 1978. ^[8]

See also

• Cheshire portal

• Listed buildings in Alsager
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1916–44)

References

Citations

1. St Mary Magdalene, Alsager, Church of England , retrieved 9 December 2011
2. Historic England, "Church of St Mary Magdalene (1138757)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 9 December 2011
3. The Building: History, St Mary's Church, Alsager, retrieved 28 March 2012
4. Hartwell et al. (2011), p. 97.
5. Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 241.
6. Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 254.
7. Brandwood et al. (2012), pp. 159, 241.
8. "NPOR [N04388]", National Pipe Organ Register , British Institute of Organ Studies , retrieved 29 June 2020

Sources

• Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, ISBN   978-1-84802-049-8
• Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN   978-0-300-17043-6