- St Bridget's Church, West Kirby
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St Bridget's Church, West Kirby 
St Bridget's Church, West Kirby, from the southeastLocation in Merseyside
St Bridget's Church, West KirbyCoordinates: 53°22′07″N 3°10′35″W / 53.3687°N 3.1763°W OS grid reference SJ 218 864 Location West Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside Country England Denomination Anglican Website http://www.stbridgetschurch.org.uk/ Architecture Status Parish church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade II Designated 5 June 1953 Architect(s) Kelly and Edwards Architectural type Church Style Gothic, Gothic Revival Completed 1876 Specifications Materials Stone, slate roof Administration Parish West Kirby Deanery Wirral North Archdeaconry Chester Diocese Chester Province York Clergy Rector Rev Roger Clarke Curate(s) Rev Tina Upton Assistant priest Rev David Chester Laity Reader Mrs Mary Lynch, Mr John Smith Churchwarden(s) Mrs Elizabeth Ashley, Mr Phil Price St Bridget's Church, West Kirby is in the town of West Kirby, Wirral, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral North. Its benefice is united with that of the Church of the Resurrection and All Saints, Caldy.[1] The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.[2]
Contents
History
It is likely that there was a church on the site before the Norman Conquest. The first stone church was built around 1150–60. In the 13th century there were alterations or a rebuilding. Around 1320 the present chancel was built, followed by the north chapel and vestry. In 1493 the tower was erected and the north aisle was widened. By 1788 the church was "in a dilapidated state" and repairs were carried out.[3] A major restoration took place in 1869–70 by Kelly and Edwards[2] which amounted almost to a rebuilding.[3] A north porch was added in 1876.[4]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in stone with a slate roof. Its plan consists of a west tower, a nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, a north chapel and a vestry.[2] The chancel is not in line with the nave and it inclines to the north.[5] The tower has a west door above which is a three-light Perpendicular window. The bell openings are paired and have two lights. A clock face is on the east side. The summit is embattled[2] and has a gilded weathervane dated 1757.[6] The porch has head-stops which represent Queen Victoria and Bishop William Jacobson. At the west end of the north aisle is a gargoyle representing Gladstone and Beaconsfield.[5]
Interior
In the south wall of the chancel are a sedilia and a piscina.[3] The chancel arch has a low wrought iron screen by Kempe and above the arch is a painting also by Kempe. The circular font dates from the 19th century. The altar and the timber reredos are made from re-used wood from the roof of Chester Cathedral. The organ loft is by Douglas & Fordham.[2] The organ was built in 1893 by Henry Willis & Sons and improved by the same firm in 1950.[7] The east window of the chancel is dated 1833. 19 of the 23 windows in the church are by Kempe[6] and are dated between 1870 to 1906–07.[2] In the church are a number of ancient stones, one of which is known as the Hogback stone. This dates from the early 11th century, the name Hogback referring to its curving shape. It consists of hard grey sandstone, not a type of stone found locally.[8] The ring consists of eight bells. Four of these are dated 1719 by Abraham Rudhall II, one dated 1854 is by Bathgate & Wilson and the other three, dated 1889 are by John Taylor & Co.[9] The parish registers date from 1561 but are incomplete. The churchwardens' accounts start in 1754.[3]
References
- ^ St Bridget, West Kirby, Church of England, http://www.achurchnearyou.com/west-kirby-st-bridget/, retrieved 26 September 2011
- ^ a b c d e f Church of St Bridget, Hoylake (1242740). National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d Richards, Raymond (1947), Old Cheshire Churches, London: Batsford, pp. 348–351
- ^ Salter, Mark (1995), The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire, Malvern: Folly Publications, p. 79, ISBN 1871731232
- ^ a b Hartwell, Claire; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 661–662, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
- ^ a b Morant, Roland W. (1989), Cheshire Churches, Birkenhead: Countyvise, p. 188, ISBN 0 907768 18 0
- ^ Kirby, West St. Bridget, British Institute of Organ Studies, http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D01823, retrieved 12 August 2008
- ^ The Hogback Stone, Parish Church of St Bridget, West Kirby, http://www.stbridgetschurch.org.uk/hogbackdetail.htm, retrieved 22 December 2007
- ^ West Kirby S Bridget, Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers, http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=kirby&Submit=++Go++&page=2&DoveID=WEST+KIRBY, retrieved 12 August 2008
Categories:- 1870s architecture
- Buildings and structures in Wirral (borough)
- Church of England churches in Merseyside
- Grade II listed churches
- Grade II listed buildings in Merseyside
- English Gothic architecture
- Gothic Revival architecture in England
- Diocese of Chester
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