Building record 1248/1/1 - Church of St Wilfrid

<1> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches, p.237-242 (Book). SCH2309.

During the 1888 restoration, when excavations were being carried out for the foundations of the chancel arch, Saxon remains were discovered suggesting the existence of a pre-Conquest church. No reference is made to a church in Domesday, the first documentary reference dating from the beginning of the reign of King John (c.1199). Circa 1206 Patrick de Mobberley founded a small priory of regular canons of the order of St. Augustine who were to abide and dwell in the church of Mobberley. The existence of Mobberley priory as an independent foundation was short-lived, and ended before 1240.

The oldest extant fabric dates from around about 1245, when it was a through church under one continuous nave and chancel roof, with narrow side aisles and a detached tower. The latter becoming ruinous, was rebuilt in 1533. It is of three storeys, divided by string courses with corner buttresses having four offsets. The summit is embattled, and there are seats which suggest that pinnacles were intended, or have at some time been removed. The strings include carved foliage, shields and many figures of animals. The belfry windows are double and the west doorway is typical Cheshire work of its period. At the south-west corner the internal vice or turret serves all storeys. Nearby is the inscription " Orate pro bono statu domini Johannis Talbot militis et dominre Margaretre uxoris sure patronre ecclesire Anno domini milesimo quingentesimo tricesimo tertio. Richard Plat Master Mason."

The body of the church is largely work of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but frequent restoration and the insertion of new windows has, to a certain extent, effaced the character of the medieval work. The chancel and vestry are new, having been rebuilt as recently as 1888-9. Conforming to the early plan, the church consists of a broad nave with chancel of similar width and narrow side aisles. The arcades are of four pointed arches, rising from octagonal piers. The first arch of the arcades nearest the tower is loftier than the others and is probably contemporaneous with the rebuilding of the tower in 1533. The east window is one of the earliest and best windows of its period in Cheshire.

<2> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 58412 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

A church – Fourteenth to Fifteenth century with west tower of 1533 by Richard Platt, mason, and chancel of 1889 by J S Crowther. Ashlar, grey slate roof. Nave, aisles, chancel with C19 west porch vestry and organ loft. Aisles are of 4 bays with cusped 3-light windows, those on the south side straight headed, those on the north side with Tudor heads. Clerestory is of 5 bays with plainer 2 light straight-headed windows. Chancel has steeper roof and various windows including east window of 5 lights with intersecting tracery. Open timber porch c1900, finely panelled and carved in late Gothic style with stone plinth and miniature balustrade of Jacobean type. Wagon roof with heavy ties and bossed king posts. Interior: 4-bay arcade on octagonal piers. Tall semi-octagonal responds to tower arch and chancel arch. Excellent nave ceiling of low pitch with cambered tie beams. The tie beams are carried on short corbelled posts at the foot of which stand figures of angels (probably Nineteenth century addition). The truss nearest the tower is however a hammer beam. Ceilure over screen is richly carved and inscribed and dated 1500. Wagon roof to chancel, which has carved stone reredos with figures, a small medieval piscina and many wall monuments. Tower gallery has Jacobean-style cresting dated 1683. Some faded wall painting on north wall of nave.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ78SE6/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<4> Women's Institute, 1952, The History of Mobberley Village (Oral Communication). SCH3152.