Description

HOLMES, CHAPEL CP LONDON ROAD
SJ 76 NE Holmes Chapel

4/5 Church of St Luke

14.2.67

GV I

Parish Church,circa 1430 with early C18 alterations. Sandstone tower,
red brick chancel and nave, in Flemish bond, stone slate roof. Tower
with porch, 4 bay nave, with side aisles, and one bay chancel. This
is a large Perpendicular timber church with Perpendicular west tower
but the chancel and nave were encased in brickwork early in the C18.
Square sandstone tower with buttresses which reduce four times in
height. Gothic headed, ledged and boarded oak door, on large plain
strap hinges, in coved and headed opening surmounted by a hood mould.
There is a 2-light Perpendicular window over the door and an empty
niche with splayed reveals above this. There is a small single light
window below the two light louvred window opening at bell stage.
Diamond shaped clock dials to north and south faces of the tower.
Plain coved cornice with angle gargoyles and crenellated parapet. The
aisle windows are in two tiers, semi-circular headed, single light,
lead lattice, glazed, wood windows below, and shorter, segmental,
single light, wood windows above a three course deep projecting brick
band. Six window bays each side. There are segmental headed oak
boarded doors, on strap hinges, in the second and sixth window bays
each side. On the north aisle the doors are flanked by wide brick
pilasters and have pediments above the arches. The aisles have
lean-to roofs with slightly shallower pitches than the nave. There
are sandstone copings with kneelers to the ends of the aisle roofs.
The chancel has a three light, stone, Perpendicular window with
stained glass surmounted by a hood mould supported by corbels with
faces. The chancel roof is lower than the nave and has sandstone
ridge and hips. There is a small vestry in the angle between the
aisle and chancel on the north side.
Interior: The tower entrance leads into a porch with tower steps. It
is separated from the nave by a pair of 1980 3-panel glazed doors with
wide panelled lining. The nave is separated from the aisles by angle
roll-beaded octagonal oak posts, on low stone bases, which support the
three main roof trusses. There are oak panelled galleries, circa
1705, across the back of the church (west) and over the south aisle.
These contain the organ and three rows of box pews respectively. The
nave floor is of stone slabs and head stones. The chancel has a plain
oak reredos and side panelling and there is a low oak communion rail
with turned balusters. A carved oak crest dated 1622 is set low down
(south) by the Communion Rail. Wall memorials with dates 1810, 1828
and 1836 in the chancel. A number of good wall memorials from 1915 to
mid C19 on the aisle walls. Stone font of 1890 and C19 oak pulpit
with Gothic motifs. A brass chandelier of 1708 hangs from a nave main
truss. The chancel ceiling is low, flat and plastered and separated
from the nave by a chevron plaster filled truss. The C15 nave roof
has arch braced trusses with cambered tie beams. The moulding on the
octagonal posts continues on to the arch braces and there are shaped
struts to the upper purlins. Intermediate arch braced collar trusses
also with shaped struts. There are exposed rafters and two lines of
purlins with quatrefoil wind braces. Main roof wall plates strutted
and braced from a girding beam 600mm below. Aisle roofs have exposed
rafters and purlins supported by simple braced trusses which are
carried by the octagonal niouldadposts which separate the aisles from
the nave. Although there is no external indication of the quality of
this roof frame this church must rank high among Cheshire's timber
framed churches.

Listing NGR: SJ7622067274

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Luke's Church, Holmes Chapel at Wikipedia
• St Luke's Church, Holmes Chapel official website
• Wikidata Q15127801

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

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas