Church of St Bartholomew

Cadw's description

Location

Located off the N side of Sealand Road (A548) which leads E to Chester. The church was originally on the main road but has been recently by-passed.

History

Built in 1865-7 by John Douglas, architect, of Chester; the builder was Robert Bellis. Partly paid for by the River Dee Company who gave the land. It is said that housing was proposed for the area around the church but this was never built.

Exterior

Church in Early-Decorated Gothic style. Nave, chancel, S porch, N organ chamber and SE tower, the latter forming the principal element of the design. Constructed of coursed rock-faced red Helsby sandstone under a slate roof. Detail includes freestone plinth and impost band, window dressings and gable parapets with crucifix finials. Gabled S porch has moulded pointed entrance arch with clasping buttresses and raised gable parapets; paired quatrefoil windows to sides. It is vaulted internally with decorative corbels, quarry tile floor and stone benches; similar entrance into nave with hoodmould with carved headstops, double boarded doors; inscription above reading 'Enter these gates with thanksgiving'. Five-bay nave, mainly with cusped 2-light windows: S side has 3 pairs to R of porch and single light to L of porch. N side has single light to L and 3 paired lights to R. The W end has moulded sill band and angle buttresses; Geometrical 2-light W window with foliated central capital and large cusped oculus under the arch; each light is similarly divided by a capital with roundel above. Round chimney to E gable apex.

To SE, at junction of nave and chancel, 3-stage bell-tower with pyramidal roof, deeply bracketed eaves and gargoyles to angles; paired lancet belfry openings to each side with continuous moulded sill band. Good semi-circular vice tower to W side over a lean-to, which contains shouldered arched entrance into vestry. Clock to S face of tower, under which is a small lancet. E side of tower has single light with decorated head to 2nd stage, under which is a 2-light window in plate tracery. Gabled N organ chamber with large wheel window consisting of a quatrefoil surrounded by roundels, hoodmould with head stops; small lancet to L. Two-bay chancel stepped down, with corbelled eaves, moulded sill band and hoodmoulds with headstops; 3-light E window with impaled trefoils and large cusped oculus; the N side has single light to L and paired lights to R; single light to S side.

Interior

Ashlar interior provides unexpected grandeur for a church of this scale. The nave has a 4-bay 4-sided roof with windbraces and closely-spaced rafters; the chancel has similar 4-sided roof with painted rafters and toothed cornice. Moulded pointed chancel arch supported on foliated corbels; painted inscription beneath hoodmould which has gilded winged angel headstop to L; to R, cross-angle doorway to tower with shouldered head. Chamfered pointed-arched opening to organ chamber. Pointed arched doorway to vestry from S side of chancel. Steps up to chancel, which retains original furnishings designed by Douglas including choir stalls with curved ends and ornamented with roundels and pierced patterns; sedilia to SE, the seats separated by a round column and with arched ogee head. Rere arches to chancel windows, the hoodmoulds with decorative end stops. Octagonal font decorated with IHS monograms, carried on marble columns, at W end of nave; the octagonal stone pulpit can only be reached from the base of the tower stairs which lead off the vestry. The glass in the E window, depicting the Crucifixion, was donated by Douglas and designed by Harman; the W window shows the 12 disciples and was inserted in 1880 to the designs of Kempe. Small memorial tablets of brass and marble.

Reason for designation

Listed as an early church by the important local architect, John Douglas, with good coherent Early-Decorated Gothic detail and a fine interior.