St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn
St Cross Church is in the village of Appleton Thorn, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[1] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth. Its benefice is combined with that of St Matthew's Church, Stretton.[2]
| St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn | |
|---|---|
 St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn | |
  St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn Location in Cheshire | |
| 53.3503°N 2.5456°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 638 838 |
| Location | Appleton Thorn, Warrington, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Holy Cross |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 23 December 1983 |
| Architect(s) | Edmund Kirby |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1886 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 100 |
| Materials | Red sandstone, red tile roof |
| Administration | |
| Province | York |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Archdeaconry | Chester |
| Deanery | Great Budworth |
| Parish | St Cross, Appleton Thorn |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd Alan Jewell, MA (Oxon) |
History
The church was built in 1886 to a design by Edmund Kirby[1] at the expense of Rowland Egerton-Warburton of Arley Hall.[3]
Architecture
It is built in red sandstone with a red tile roof,[1] in Decorated style.[4] Its plan is cruciform with a two-stage tower over the crossing. It has a three-window nave without aisles, a one-window chancel, an oak-framed north porch on a sandstone plinth, and a baptistry projecting from the west end. Above the baptistry is a rose window.[1] The stained glass in the east window is by Harcourt M. Doyle, dated 1970, and that in the rose window is by Celtic Studios of Swansea, dated 1986.[4] The organ was built in 1906 at a cost of £220 (equivalent to £30,000 in 2021),[5] by E. Wadsworth.[6]
External features
The churchyard contains six war graves of British service personnel, three from World War I and three from World War II.[7]
Connections
The church has connections with the Royal Naval Association because during the Second World War a Royal Naval Air Service station, HMS Blackcap, was in the village. Its ensign hangs in the church.[8]
References
- Historic England, "Church of St Cross, Appleton (1139338)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 6 April 2015
- St Cross, Appleton Thorn, Church of England, retrieved 29 September 2009
- Foster, Charles (1999), "The History of the House and the Family", in Albrighton, Tom (ed.), Arley Hall and Gardens, Cheshire, Norwich: Jarrold, p. 21
- Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 628–629, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
- UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 11 June 2022
- Appleton Thorn St. Cross, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 13 August 2008
- APPLETON THORN (ST. CROSS) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 2 February 2013
- St Cross Church, St Cross, Appleton Thorn, retrieved 24 March 2008
