Saint Wilfred's church in Grappenhall village looked at across the top of autumnal trees
The new visitor to Grappenhall which is located in the North West of England (53 25N 2 38W), may be surprised to find a very attractive and picturesque village complete with cobblestones, village stocks, ancient Norman Church , Primary school and two pubs close to the busy town of Warrington. The village has a very long history and is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is said that a stone carving on the church tower may be the original Cheshire Cat. The Bridgewater canal skirts around the centre of the village. One of the places children like to play is the stream and the park. The original church of 1120 was probably of the type commonly found in villages throughout England, consisting of a nave without aisles and a chancel, the floor was of hard earth. The 12 th century saw further building work carried out with the construction of the Boydell chapel on the south side of the church. In the 16 th century much of the original Norman church which had stood for 400 years was rebuilt, but the Boydell chapel was left intact, the tower appears to have been built first and is surmounted by battlements. The 19 th century saw further building work and it was at this time that the Saxon font was discovered buried three feet below floor level. It is made from the same local sandstone as the rest of the church and is oblong shaped large enough for the total immersion of a child, the ornamentation is very rude and irregular which is evidence that it was probably made by a village mason without rule or compass.
Size: 5459px × 3639px
Location: Grappenhall village Warrington Cheshire England
Photo credit: © John Hopkins / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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