Listed Building: THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH (1160821)

WINSFORD FORMER U.D. SWANLOW LANE SJ 66 NW 4/109 The Congregational Church. GV II Church. 1864-5. By John Douglas. Flemish bond brick with ashlar dressings and slate roof. The body of the church has a slightly projecting plinth of blue brick with alternating bands of red and white brick above and some diapered patterns. The roof is also diapered with grey, green and mauve slates arranged in patterns. Nave, projecting porch at Eastern end with gallery over and organ chamber of c.1900 to south-west. Eastern front: three central projecting bays with porch below and gallery over with clasping buttresses at sides which continue, forming small square turrets with the gable between and staircase quadrants to sides. Central recessed porch of three bays forming an arcade-screen with round columns of grey granite supported on bases of red sandstone ashlar with crocket capitals of similar material. Ovolo-moulded arches above with voussoirs of alternating red and white brick. Continuous hood-mould above with label stops of figurehead and floral design. Above the porch is a band of diamond patterned diapering and above this a corbel table of white brick connecting with a continuous sill below the three central gallery windows. The central one of these rises higher than the other two and each has two round-arched lights with a round window above. Diapering to gable and moulded surround beneath eaves which have stone coping. The lateral turrets have stone capping pieces with gablets and crocketed finials. Quadrants to sides have single-light staircase windows. South side: staircase quandrant at right with clasping buttress to left of this. Four bays with buttresses between having ashlar offsets. Two-light slightly recessed windows with ashlar surrounds of plate tracery each of two arched lights with porthole to apex. Round-headed relieving arches with voussoirs of alternating red and white brick. Square organ chamber to left with canted corners and octagonal pyramidal roof terminated by a wrought iron finial. North front similar to south save for absence of organ chamber. West end: square vestry to left with canted corners and with hipped roof terminating in wrought iron finial (the model for the later organ chamber). Lean to porch entrance to lower central walling. C20 church hall extension to right. Above these is a central rose window of plate tracery formed of a single round light surrounded by eight others. Pilaster buttresses to either side of this wing to form small turrets as at the east end, the difference here being that the left hand one terminates as a chimney. Ashlar coping stones to gable. The roof has three gabled louvres to each side. Listing NGR: SJ6401865824