Church of St. Philip and St James, Alderley Edge

St Philip and St James is an active Anglican church in the villageSmall rural collection of buildings with a church. of Alderley Edge, Cheshire. It is in the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield, the Deanery of Knutsford, and the Diocese of Chester, and is one of the two churches in the BeneficeOriginally used in feudal societies to describe a grant of land as a reward for services rendered. In modern usage it refers to a collection of parishes working together under a single incumbent. of Alderley Edge with Birtles.^[1]

St Philip’s was designed by the Manchester architect J. S. Crowther, his first independent work. The naveCentral part of a church, used by the laiety., south aislePart of a church on either side of the nave or choir, separated from them by arcades, colonnades or piers. More generally, a passageway between seats in an auditorium, shelves in a supermarket and so on. and the chancelPart of a church containing the altar, used by the officiating clergy. were built in 1851–1852, and in 1856–1857 the north aisle, a further bay on the west of the church, and a steeple to the south of the church were added.^[2] A vestryRoom in Christian churches for the storage of liturgical vestments, sacred vessels and parish records. was added in 1903 to a design by F. P. Oakley.^[3]

The church was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1984.^[3]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in hammer-dressed sandstone rubble with ashlarMasonry of squared and finely cut or worked stone, commonly used for the facing of a building. dressings. The slate roof is in bands of three colours;^[3] its architectural style is Decorated.^[2] The plan of the church consists of a six-bay nave with north and south aisles, each under its own ridge, a three-bay chancel, a hexagonal vestry, and a southwest tower with a spire. The tower is in four stages with angle buttresses, and the spire has three levels of lucarnes.^[3]

Interior

In the north wall of the chancel is a sediliaSeats for the officiating clergy found on the south side of an altar., and in the south wall is a piscinaSmall basin in a Christian church used to clean the priest's hands and the sacred vessels used at Mass.. The carved reredosLarge ornamented wall, screen, or other structure placed behind the altar in a Christian church. of 1903 depicts the Last Supper. The panelled choir stalls, pulpit and organ screen, all dated 1907, were designed by Percy Worthington.^[2][3] In the south aisle is a stained glass window made by Morris & Co. dating from 1873;^[3] other windows by Powells date from 1933 to 1935.^[2]

The three-manual organ, built by Wadsworth of Manchester, was rebuilt in 1962 by Jardine and Company, also of Manchester.^[4]