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St Mary Without the Walls, Handbridge
St Mary Without the Walls, Handbridge
St Mary’s Church, also known as the Church of St Mary-without-the-Walls, is located on Overleigh Road in Handbridge, Chester, Cheshire, England.
Key Facts
- Location: Overleigh Road, Handbridge, Chester, Cheshire, England
- Built: 1885-1887
- Architect: F. B. Wade
- Denomination: Anglican
- Diocese: Chester
- Grade: II
Overview
St Mary’s Church, also known as the Church of St Mary-without-the-Walls, is located on Overleigh Road in Handbridge, Chester, Cheshire, England. It is a Grade II listed Anglican parish church in the diocese, archdeaconry, and deanery of Chester.
Built between 1885 and 1887 by F. B. Wade for the 1st Duke of Westminster, the church had a south porch added in 1914 by P. H. Lockwood.
Constructed in ashlar Waverton stone with Runcorn sandstone dressings and Westmorland green slate roofs. The church features a five-bay nave, three-bay chancel, southeast chapel, organ chamber, vestry, and two porches. The west end has a three-stage tower with a recessed spire, clock faces, paired louvred bell-openings, machicolated parapet, corner pinnacles, lucarnes, and a weathervane.
The tower houses the baptistry with an encaustic tiled floor, stone font, and stained glass by Edward Frampton depicting Christ’s baptism. The nave has wood block flooring, and the chancel features a mosaic floor with wrought iron rails. The southeast chapel has a wrought iron screen, and the pulpit and lectern are oak. The east window is likely by Frampton, and the reredos was designed by Frederic Shields and made by Clement Heaton. The church has a ring of eight bells cast by Mears and Stainbank in 1887.
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