Description

SJ 56 SE TARPORLEY C.P. (Off) HIGH STREET

1/69 Church of St Helen

3.1.67

GV II*

Church. C15 with extensive C19 additions and alterations by Crowther of Manchester, repaired 1931-2 by Percy Worthington. Red sandstone ashlar with a slate roof. South western tower of 3 stages, aisled nave, chancel. North-eastern and south-eastern chapels, western vestry and south-western baptistry. The C19 refacing of the body of the church - nave, chancel and tower are all Decorated. Only the north-eastern and south-eastern chapels retain Perpendicular features. Tower has angle buttresses with offsets to all faces and string courses between all the stages. South front: gabled projecting porch to right with hollow-chamfered pointed arch with hood-mould and cross to apex of gable which has a moulded coping. Oak double doors inside with E-shaped hinges of wrought iron with floral decoration. Diagonal staircase turret set in angle between buttresses and body of tower at left. Lancet to second stage with hood-mould and label stops. Two-light louvred belfry opening above with cusped fenestration and trefoils to apex with hood-mould continuing around the tower as a band. Corbel table above this supporting parapet with gargoyles to the corners and blind encircled quatrefoils to the parapet. Pyramidal spire above. The tower adjoins the church to the east and north at the level of the lower stage. The upper 2 stages are similar to the southern face however. The western face has a canted bapistry before the lower walling of 1931-2 by Sir Percy Worthington. Above this is a 3-light Geometrical window having cusped lights and sexfoils and cinquefoil to the apex with hood mould and label stops above. Similar to south face above this with a clock face above lancet. Nave: south aisle side: 3 bays to right of tower with two-light windows with cusped lights and an elongated quatrefoil to the apex of each, hood moulds and label stops. Buttresses between with offsets and terminating in gablets. North side; similar, of 4 bays having a 3-light window at right with cusped intersecting tracery at right. Double doors to left of second window from right with ornate wrought iron strap hinges, decorated with foliage motifs. Colonettes to sides, a moulded arch and a hood mould, with figurehead label stops. West end: Tower to right with two gabled bays to left of it of approximately equal height. Central window of 4 lights with cusping and Geometrical encircled sexfoils and octofoil to apex which has a quatrefoil at its hub. To the north aisle is a 3-light window with cusped lancets and Geometrical tracery to the apex. both windows have hood moulds and label stops. Chancel: has North Eastern and South Eastern chapels adjoining its side walls but one projecting Eastern bay with 3-light windows to Northern and Southern side. Eastern window of 5 cusped lights with trefoils and encircled quatrefoils to apex. Hood mould over and king and queen label stops. Diagonal buttresses to corners with crocketed pinnacles above. Coping to gable and cross to apex. South Eastern chapel: south wall has 2 bays flush with nave aisle each having a 4-light Perpendicular window with panel tracery. Buttresses between with swept offsets. Eastern window of 5 lights with cambered head. Northern-eastern chapel: North side, three bays and Perpendicular windows each of 3 cusped lights. Eastern end: window of 5 lights with panel tracery above. Interior: Nave. Arcades of 4 bays with octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches those to the western arcade having slender faces to the angles. Chamfered surrounds to windows in the northern aisle and nave mouldings to those at south. Three bay arcades to chancel. Nave and chancel roofs are of arched braces and principals, the south eastern chapel has a panelled roof, the north eastern has moulded arched braces with brattished collars and king posts above. Pierced panelling and brattished rail before ashlar posts. Good wrought iron door furniture to North western and south western double doors which have serpents head terminals to the door bolts. Wrought iron chancel screen of c-scrolls in rectangular compartments riveted to cross bars and side bars. Quatrefoils to upper rail and cresting of fleurs de lys. Italian C16 Siennese gates to centre with fretwork panels and quatrefoils to lower body and adorsed and affronted S-scrolls. Repousee leaves to top rail. Fine mid C19 oak chancel seating with arcading to desk fronts and seat backs and cusped circular openings. Monuments: to Sir John Crewe of Utkinton d.1711. White marble. Baroque. Tomb-chest base with slightly projecting centre. Gadrooned and fluted lip. Life size figure in drapery and a wig propped on his side his right arm resting on a bible and clenching his left hand in prayer. To either side are weeping putti their heads covered by drapery. To the wall behind are two cherub's heads with interlaced wings. Monument to Jane Done d.1662 and her sister, Mary Crewe d.1690. White and black marble. White chest with black marble top and white marble figures. Recumbant figure of Jane to front holding a bible in her left hand. Mary behind propped on her right elbow and lying in her side her left hand resting on an open bible. At her feet is the figure of her grand daughter Mary Devereux Knightly who died in 1674 aged one year.

Sources - Edward Hubbard and Nikolaus Pevsner - The Buildings of England: Cheshire.

Listing NGR: SJ5534962527

External Links

• St Helen's Church, Tarporley at Wikipedia
• St Helen's Church, Tarporley official website
• Wikidata Q7593318

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)