All Saints Church, Church Lawton

All Saints Church stands on a mound close to Lawton Hall in the small village of Church Lawton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is an Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Congleton. HistoryThe church was founded around the end of the 11th century, probably by Hugh de Mara, Lord of Lawton. There is a tradition that in the 8th century the body of St Werburgh rested overnight on the site of the church while it was being carried from Lincolnshire to Chester. In 1652 the church was struck by lightning and 11 people in the church were killed. The body of the church was destroyed by fire in 1798 and rebuilt by 1803. Following the fire of 1798 the body of the church was rebuilt in brick in neoclassical style. The cost of this was around £8, 000. A south porch was added as a War Memorial in 1923. ArchitectureExteriorThe tower at the west end, dating from the 16th century, is built of red and buff sandstone in Perpendicular style. On the south face of the tower are carved a chalice and the initials "I. B. ". These initials are those of the parish priest of the time, John Bybber, or Byber. The bell openings contain Y-tracery. On each side of the church are two lunette windows, with two round-headed windows between them. At the east end of the church is a Venetian window. A Norman doorway which survived the fire has been reset in the south wall of the nave.

All Saints Church stands on a mound close to Lawton Hall in the small village of Church Lawton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is an Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Congleton. HistoryThe church was founded around the end of the 11th century, probably by Hugh de Mara, Lord of Lawton. There is a tradition that in the 8th century the body of St Werburgh rested overnight on the site of the church while it was being carried from Lincolnshire to Chester. In 1652 the church was struck by lightning and 11 people in the church were killed. The body of the church was destroyed by fire in 1798 and rebuilt by 1803. Following the fire of 1798 the body of the church was rebuilt in brick in neoclassical style. The cost of this was around £8, 000. A south porch was added as a War Memorial in 1923. ArchitectureExteriorThe tower at the west end, dating from the 16th century, is built of red and buff sandstone in Perpendicular style. On the south face of the tower are carved a chalice and the initials "I. B. ". These initials are those of the parish priest of the time, John Bybber, or Byber. The bell openings contain Y-tracery. On each side of the church are two lunette windows, with two round-headed windows between them. At the east end of the church is a Venetian window. A Norman doorway which survived the fire has been reset in the south wall of the nave.