Description

PEOVER SUPERIOR C.P. PEOVER HALL PARK
SJ 77 SE

5/73 Church of St. Lawrence

5 3 59

GV I

Church. South chapel of 1456; North chapel probably of 1648; Tower of
1741 probably by J Garlive. Nave of 1811 by William Turner of
Whitchurch. Ashlar walling with leaded roofs to north and south
chapels. Red English garden wall bond with stone dressings and plain
tile roof. Western tower, nave, northern and southern chapels.
Southern chapel: Two bays, moulded plinth and string course, angle
buttresses to corners with offsets. Central buttress widening at base
where wall is thickened to accommodate tomb-recess inside building.
Gargoyles over all 3 buttresses. Windows have transitional tracery,
very shallow curve to sides of pointed arches and hood-moulds which
have carved heads as label stops. Battlemented parapet. Porch to
left of the same build with chamfered arch.
Northern chapel: Plain ashlar lower walls. Three lunette windows to
north wall and one each to east and west walls all with cyma-moulded
reveal. Console cornice above and to pedimented gable ends which have
plain tympana.
Tower: Three stages. Stone plinth and quoins and bands between
stages. West face: Central door With stone reveals and archway with
projecting springers and keystone, now blocked with rubble to lower
half and C19 stained glass above. Oculus to first floor stage with 4
keystones to top and bottom. Stone surround to arched belfry opening
above with sunken panels to reveals and projecting keystone and
springers to arch. Louvres to opening. String course above this.
Parapet has stone piers to corners and centre of each side with stone
finials and coping. C19 vestry to north side, south side similar save
for pointed arch to left.
Body of Church: Four bays, one Decorated 2-light window to left of
the southern chapel and a canted bay to accommodate the organ to the
right, both of late C19 date. Northern side has windows loosely based
upon those of the south chapel with similarly shallow curves to
arches.
Interior: South Chapel: Two-bay arcade to nave, central octagonal
pier with moulded base and capital supporting chamfered arches.
Similar archway to porch now divided by C20 glazed screen. Tomb
reveal to centre of south wall with 4-centered archway and ogee
cresting with crockets. Alabaster effigies of Sir Randle and Lady
Mainwaring, he in armour. C19 panelled roof replacing a truss roof
for which figurehead corbels are now redundant. C19 screen to nave.
North Chapel: Three-bay arcade to nave with semi-circular arches.
Diamond-patterned alabaster floor. Pilaster strips with moulded bases
and capitals between windows. Wooden strapwork ceiling with pendants
and sunken diamond-shaped panel to centre with coat of arms in relief.
Free-standing marble sarcophagus with effigies of Philip Mainwaring
and his wife Ellen 1647 both lying in praying position, he in armour.
Two alabaster tomb slabs to Philip Mainwaring and his wife, 1573 and
Sir John Mainwaring and his wife, 1586. Nave: A replacement of the
earlier body of the church with undivided nave and chancel. Replaced
sarcophagus with recumbent praying effigies of John Mainwaring and his
wife, 1410.
The design of the tower is very similar in its details to that of the
Church of St John Baptist, Knutsford (q.v.) by John Garlive and is
attributed to him here for that reason. The north chapel of 1648, is
one of the earliest regular classical buildings in the region.

[Source:]

Nicholas Pevsner & The Buildings of England: Cheshire, 1971.
Edward Hubbard

Listing NGR: SJ7720873518

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Lawrence's Church, Over Peover at Wikipedia
• St Lawrence's Church, Over Peover official website
• Wikidata Q7593947

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.

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