St Chad's Church, Farndon
Encyclopedia
St Chad's Church, Farndon, is in the village of Farndon
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
is combined with that of St Mary, Coddington
.
and it is likely that Saxon
churches had previously been there. The base of the tower and the plan of the church date from the 14th century although around 1622 the historian Webb described it as "a fair new church". During the civil war
the church was badly damaged. In 1643 it was being used as a barracks for the Parliamentarians
under Sir William Brereton
when it was attacked by Royalists
. During the battle the church was set on fire. It continued to be used by the Parliamentarians until 1645 when it was abandoned and left derelict. Apart from the tower the church was completely rebuilt in 1658 by William Barnston. Further restorations were carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 19th-century restoration
was carried out by Kelly and Edwards, other than the southeast chapel which was by John Douglas
.
with grey slate
roofs. The lower three stages of the tower date from the 14th century and the top section dates from the 17th century. The plan of the church consists of a nave
with clerestory
, north and south aisle
s, a chancel
and a north porch. Protruding from the east end of the south wall are a vestry
and the Barnston chapel. The tower is at the west end.
memorial boards. The ring
consists of eight bells, all cast in 1841 by John Taylor and Company. The parish register
s begin in 1603 and the churchwarden
s' accounts in 1744.
, on the other a skull and crossbones
. A sundial
in the churchyard is dated 1793.
Farndon, Cheshire
Farndon is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Dee, south of Chester, and close to the border with Wales...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is combined with that of St Mary, Coddington
St Mary's Church, Coddington
St Mary's Church, Coddington, is in the civil parish of Coddington, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas...
.
History
A church was present on the site at the time of the survey for the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and it is likely that Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
churches had previously been there. The base of the tower and the plan of the church date from the 14th century although around 1622 the historian Webb described it as "a fair new church". During the civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the church was badly damaged. In 1643 it was being used as a barracks for the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
under Sir William Brereton
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet was an English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1659. He was a commander in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....
when it was attacked by Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
. During the battle the church was set on fire. It continued to be used by the Parliamentarians until 1645 when it was abandoned and left derelict. Apart from the tower the church was completely rebuilt in 1658 by William Barnston. Further restorations were carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 19th-century restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
was carried out by Kelly and Edwards, other than the southeast chapel which was by John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
.
Exterior
The church is built in red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with grey slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. The lower three stages of the tower date from the 14th century and the top section dates from the 17th century. The plan of the church consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and a north porch. Protruding from the east end of the south wall are a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and the Barnston chapel. The tower is at the west end.
Interior
The furniture includes a 17th-century holy table, and a parish chest dated 1729. Three benefaction boards are dated 1672, 1786 and 1838. In the Barnston chapel is the Civil War window which depicts some of the Cheshire Royalists. The chapel also contains wall memorials to the members of the Barnston family, including two Randle HolmeRandle Holme
Randle Holme was a name shared by members of four successive generations of a family who lived in Chester, Cheshire, England from the late years of the 16th century to the early years of the 18th century. They were all herald painters and genealogists and were members of the Stationers' Company of...
memorial boards. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of eight bells, all cast in 1841 by John Taylor and Company. The parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
s begin in 1603 and the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s' accounts in 1744.
External features
A pair of table tombs in the churchyard are listed Grade II. They are of yellow sandstone and date from the early 18th century. On one is an image of an hourglassHourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
, on the other a skull and crossbones
Memento mori
Memento mori is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die". It names a genre of artistic work which varies widely, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality...
. A sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
in the churchyard is dated 1793.