Listing Text

SJ 67 NE, 6/74

GREAT BUDWORTH C.P.,
HIGH STREET (South Side)

Church of St Mary and All Saints

8/1/70

I

Church C14-1527, Thomas Hunter mason of the C16 parts; windows
repaired 1848-63; refurnishing by A Salvin, W Butterfield and
J Douglas later C19. Red sandstone with low-pitched roofs, probably
leaded, not visible. West tower, aisled nave with south porch;
transept chapels north and south; chancel with south and north
chapels, the last now organ chamber and vestry.

Three-stage tower
1500-1520 (c.f. St Helen, Northwich) has diagonal buttresses,
octagonal south-west turret, replaced oak west door in ornamented
archway surmounted by band with carved coats-of-arms, decayed carved
panel to each side of door, Tudor-arched west window; band; small
arched bell-ringers' window on north, west and south face, eroded
bas-relief panel on north and south face and clock on west face; band;
paired 2-light bell-openings with transoms and stone louvres;
crenellation with eight crocketed pinnacles. Nave has 4-light
panel-traceried west and south windows to aisles, 3-light north aisle
windows with intersecting tracery; south clerestorey windows with
Tudor arches and four lights with alternating basket-arched and trefoil
heads and 4-light north clerestory windows with rudimentary panel
tracery; plain crenellated porch with door of broad oak boards and
square 2-light aisle window above; restored north door. South
transept chapel has ornate 4-light south window with panel tracery,
altered 3-light west window with intersecting tracery and restored
lancet to east. South chancel chapel has priest's door and 3-light
south and east windows with panel tracery. 5-light east window to
chancel has transitional curvilinear/panel tracery. North chancel
chapel has panel-traceried east window of three lights, a blocked opening
And a 3-light north window with transitional curvilinear/panel
tracery. North transept Lady Chapel, C14, has gabled buttresses, two
2-light east windows, a 3-light north window with panel tracery,
priest's door and a restored 3-light reticulated window under a
depressed arch. All elements are crenellated; diagonal corner
buttresses; many and varied gargoyles.

INTERIOR: Tower arch simply recessed in three orders. Nave arcades of six
bays; that to north has three square piers with half-round responds, east,
and two with concave corners between responds and arches with big
convex mouldings; that to south, later, has concave corners and triple
shafts on each face and lighter arch mouldings; carved heads and other
motifs on capitals of north arcade; panelled oak camber-beam roof
without bosses; shafts and two bands articulate the clerestorey.
Restored camber-beam roof to south aisle; rebuilt roof with no
features of interest to north aisle; chancel arch has continuing
mouldings and no capitals; rood-loft arch north; line of former roof
above arch. Lady Chapel (north transept), with stone screen by
Salvin, has oak roof with unbraced crown posts and massive tie-beams on
brackets. Warburton Chapel (south transept) has panelled camber-beam
roof of oak with ornate principal beams and ovolo secondary beams.
Chancel arcades of two bays; wagon roof. South chancel chapel has
restored or replaced oak camber-beam panelled roof; organ chamber and
vestry has replaced roof with no features of interest. C15 octagonal
font; benefactions board, 1703, at west corner of south aisle; Glass
of E window, south chancel chapel east window and vestry east window
by Kempe; Lady Chapel glass 1965 by Fourmaintreaux/the Whitefriars
Glass Studio; benches in south chapel probably C13; medieval stone
altar in south chapel; damaged effigy of Sir John Warburton, died
1575; monument to Sir Peter Warburton died 1813; iron screen to south
chancel chapel 1857; organ 1839, repositioned 1857; pulpit 1857;
lectern 1888; choir prayer desks by John Douglas circa 1883, admired
by T Raffles Davison.

A most satisfying largely Perpendicular chuch with a few Decorated
features and C19 restoration showing the influence of Rowland Egerton
Warburton, an early patron of the Vernacular Revival.

Listing NGR: SJ6648177518