St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow

St Bartholomew's lych gate

St Bartholomew's churchyard

The church is built from ashlar buff sandstone with a Kerridge stone-slate roof.[1] The tower at the west end leads to a five-bay nave with north and south aisles, a chancel with chapels to the north and south, a vestry to the north of the north chapel, a south porch and the Hawthorne Chapel projecting from the south wall.[4]

In the wall of the north aisle is an old aumbry. The chapel at the east end of the north aisle is the Trafford (formerly Jesus) Chapel and that at the east end of the south aisle is the Booth or Prescott Chapel. In the Booth Chapel is a large tomb to the memory of Captain John Worrall. The chapel formerly contained the tomb of George Booth of Dunham Massey and his wife Elizabeth but this was removed in the 1861–63 restoration. The Hawthorne Chapel contains some early 18th-century panelling and old seating.[3]

In the chancel is a crypt chapel dating from around 1300 which is reached by a spiral staircase. It contains a triple sedilia.[1] In the chancel floor is the oldest brass in Cheshire, dated 1460, in memory of Sir Robert del Booth and his wife, Douce. The chancel contains the tomb of Henry Trafford, rector of Wilmslow from 1522, his effigy dressed in ecclesiastical robes. In the north wall of the chancel are two recesses containing red sandstone effigies.[3] Only fragments of the ancient stained glass remain.[5] Three windows dated 1920 were designed by Dearle and made by Morris and Company.[6]

The two-manual organ was built in 1866 by Wadsworth, and rebuilt in 1897 by Alexander Young.[7] It was rebuilt again in 1961 by Smethurst.[8] The organ underwent a comprehensive restoration in late 2017 after £250,000 was raised to save and restore the organ. It was upgraded to a 3-manual specification with 42 speaking stops.[9] There is a ring of six bells which were cast in 1733 by Abraham Rudhall II.[10]