Building record 467/1/1 - St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall

Matrix Archaeology, 2020, St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, Warrington: Archaeological Watching Brief, R4472 (Client Report). SCH8946.

<1> Anon, Unknown, A Short History of the Parish Church of St Wilfrid, Grappenhall 1120-1955 (Book). SCH1430.

The First church was completed about 1120 and a chantry was added in 1344. The church was rebuilt in 1539 and incorporated part of the earlier building. Further additions were made in 1641, 1850, and 1851. The whole building was restored in 1873. See also source 2.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ68NW69 (Index). SCH2487.

<3> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches, p.167-170 (Book). SCH2309.

The Norman font is evidence of an early church and there is no reason to believe that the priest who held the living in and before 1189 was the first incumbent. Grappenhall was a Rectory in the time of Henry III (1216-72). The Boydell’s were the patrons. Sir William Boydell built a Chantry Chapel and swore to provide a Chaplin to pray for the souls of him and his wife.

The church was remodelled in the sixteenth century. The tower has a Tudor doorway on the west face. The belfry windows are typical of their day, being of two lights with no enrichments. The tower is embattled without pinnacles or gargoyles. There is a carving of a cat above the large west window, by its grinning expression it may well be the original of the proverbial Cheshire Cat, though it may be a pun on the name of the property owned by the Boydell’s ,Caterich. An ancient scratch or mass dial is on a buttress at the south-west corner of the south aisle. Its position suggests that it was moved during the sixteenth century remodelling.

The nave is of good proportions with arcades leading to the side aisles; the pointed arches springing from octagonal piers. A window in the south aisle contains medieval stained glass depicting the figures of St Peter, John the Baptist, a pilgrim and a man dressed in blue. Encased in the organ screen is a piece of fifteenth century glass representing the virgin. Reputedly Grappenhall once boasted more stained glass windows than any other church in Cheshire. In the east wall of the north aisle is a medieval piscina and credence, possibly associated with the chapel of the Barry family. The wall dates from 1530 and it is therefore probable that the piscina and credence were taken from the east end of the earlier church.

In the chancel lies the effigy of Sir William Boydell who died in 1275. He is portrayed cross legged wearing a coat of mail and surcoat, with as word and shield. One hand grasps the hilt of his sword, the other the sheaf or scabbard. The shield bears a fesse with three mullets pierced. The effigy was originally found in the churchyard and was given to the Warrington Museum for repairs, before being returned in 1874.

Standing on a new base is the Norman font which was discovered during the restoration of 1847. It is oblong and of red sandstone, having simple arcading carved round the sides.

The church also contains a thirteenth century dug out chest, fashioned out of the trunk of a tree, removed from the church in. Its lid is secured by three broad strap work hinges, with clasps fitting to plate locks. The communion table, dated 1641, has turned legs with top and bottom rails. The initials JR and TB carved on the rails are the initials of John Rycroft and Thomas Blakeburn, churchwardens.

There is a ring of eight bells. The former peel of six comprised five bells made by Henry Bagley of Ecton, near Northampton, in 1700, and one cast by Richard Sanders in 1718. In 1890 the old treble was recast. The bells were rehung in 1899 when a new treble and tenor were added and the fourth was recast.

<4> Carter G A, 1971, Warrington and the Mid-Mersey Valley, p.154-156 (Book). SCH3679.

<5> Mitchell T, 1985, Parish Church of St.Wilfrid - A portrait in Notes & Sketches (Book). SCH2584.

<6> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 59014 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

A red sandstone church with a slate roof. The nave and corbel table date from the twelfth century; the south chapel from 1334; the tower and most of the fabric 1525-39; 1834 and 1874 for the clerestory (full architectural description).

<7> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Vol.I p.597 (Book). SCH1389.

During the renovation works of the 1874 the church was re-roofed; the tower opened and a chamber constructed for the ringers; the north transept and chancel rebuilt; the floor was lowered to reveal the base of the pillars, during which a Norman font was found.

<8> Anon, Unknown, Parish Church of St. Wilfrid (Booklet-Leaflet). SCH6756.

A late perpendicular building consisting of a western tower, nave, north and south aisles, the south aisle being the incorporated Boydell chantry chapel.

The existence of a crude corbel table over the arches of the original south wall, the discovery of the font, found during a restoration in 1873, the Cain stone stoop and the old black chest, are proof of the early foundation of the building. From the apparent age of the old black chest and the crude carving of the font suggests that the foundation of the church may date from the 7th century.

All that remains of the 12th century church is part of the south wall, the font and the oak chest. Onto the south wall the chantry chapel was built in1334. The size of the chapel may be traced outside by the buttresses and base mouldings and on the inside by an offset wall close to the lady chapel. At the west end of the chapel was an entrance. The churches south door is believed to be a copy of the chapel door. The chapel was probably open to the nave.

It has been suggested that there was a tower over the present chancel and instead of the now square sanctuary, there was an apse. The nave floor was of hard stamped earth and the entrance to the church was through the north door. The pillars of the north aisle are resting on the foundations of the original north wall. There are seven arches each side. The south of the church was remodelled next. The south was pierced and incorporated the Boydell chapel to form the south aisle and the arches to be inserted. This is very clear from the corbel table and the five gargoyles, which are still in their original places. The arches and capitals to the north and south aisles are at different heights.

There is evidence that the chancel and church furniture were renovated in 1641. The school building attached to the north of the church was extent in the latter part of the seventeenth century. In 1833 the roof was removed, the walls of the nave were raised and clerestory windows added. In 1850 the south aisle was extended eastwards. In 1851 the vestry was built. In 1873 some of the buttresses were rebuilt and strengthened. The level of the chancel roof was raised to the same height as the nave roof and the floor level of the sanctuary was raised and brought forward into the nave.

The present tower was built sometime between 1620-5 (this may be an error, the author may mean 1520-5).

<9> Matrix Archaeology, 2015, St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, Warrington: Archaeological Recording, R3816 (Client Report). SCH7941.

Archaeological recording was undertaken at St Wilfrid's church in October 2015. External subsidence had occurred at the south-east corner of the south aisle, and investigation revealed that the roof of a brick vault had partially collapsed. Recording of the vault was undertaken prior to repairs being made.

The owners of the vault, the Parr family, are identified on a brass plaque located in the south aisle of the church. They were prominent local landowners and lived at Grappenhall Heyes. The vault was originally located in the churchyard a short distance south of the church chancel. According to the brass plaque the vault was finally closed in 1874 during construction works to the south aisle, comprising a diagonal sandstone buttress located directly on top of the vault; these works formed part of a restoration of the church undertaken by the architects Paley & Austin.

The vault roof comprised a single skin of brickwork in the form of a pointed arch; its interior measured about 2.30m east-west by 2.27m north-south. It was filled almost to the roof with brick and sandstone rubble so its depth is not known for certain. The rubble fill was probably inserted in 1874 when the vault was sealed. This rubble fill appears to have been derived from graveslabs elsewhere in the churchyard.

<10> Matrix Archaeology, 2018, St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, Warrington: Archaeological Evaluation, R4217 (Client Report). SCH8545.

A programme of archaeological trial pitting was undertaken in April 2018 St Wilfred’s Church in advance of a proposed extension to the north of the church. A total of four trial pits were excavated within the churchyard, each measuring 1.2m square. They were located within the footprint of the new building, between existing nineteenth century grave markers. Evidence for nineteenth and early twentieth century burials was found comprising human remains and remains of timber coffins and fittings.