St Catherine's Church, Over Alderley

The church is built in red brick with buff sandstone dressings. It has a Kerridge stone-slate roof with a stone ridge. At its southwest corner is an octagonal tower. The plan of the body of the church consists of a five-bay nave, a short chancel, a south porch, and a baptistry in a corresponding position on the north side. The tower has three stages with stone bands at each stage, single-light windows, and is surmounted by an openwork stone lattice balustrade with plain pinnacles.[1]

The stained glass and furnishings were collected by the Hibbert family from Germany and the Netherlands.[4] The stained glass came from the Netherlands and dates from the late 16th and early 17th centuries,[5][6] The furnishings include a pulpit dated 1686 containing carved panels including one of the Annunciation on the front, and of images including dolphins, putti, and lions on the back,[7] a manorial pew made from 17th-century carved Flemish oak, and a medieval eagle lectern, which may be the earliest of English origin in the county.[4] There is a second lectern, carved by Mrs Hibbert in about 1894. The reredos is decorated with panels, lion masks, and flowers.[7] The two large brass chandeliers are copies of chandeliers in Milan Cathedral. The tower contains eight bells giving a full octave. The bells were donated in 1895 by the three Hibbert sisters.[4]

The stained glass consists of "an expertly mixed assemblage", with dates ranging from 1541 to 1628.[7] The internal walls were formerly covered in frescoes by Colonel Hugh Robert Hibbert, son of Thomas, who also built an organ for the chapel.[4] The organ was replaced in 1909 by Peter Conacher of Huddersfield. Improvements and renovations were carried out in 1949, 1951 and 1983.[8] The frescoes were painted over in 1950. In 1999 two etched glass memorials to Major Hugh and Mrs Susan Hibbert by Simon Whistler were installed.[9]